More and more old people are dying after a fall and that is tragic. Because with an Apple Watch, some fatal accidents can be prevented.
Apple Watch for old people: activate emergency services automatically
According to one research by CBS In 2023, around seven thousand Dutch people died due to an accidental fall. That is twelve percent more than in 2022. In 2023, an average of 19 people per day died after a fall.
The percentage of deaths from falls increased, especially among people over 90. Of all people who died from a fall, half had a hip injury as their main injury. A quarter had head injuries.
In the event of a fall, it is of course important to call the emergency services as quickly as possible. There are various solutions for this, such as an emergency help button that you have to press if you need immediate help. But of course that could be better, because if someone loses consciousness after a fall, the emergency services must be called in as quickly as possible.
The Apple Watch can come to the rescue of old people who have fallen. Apple introduced the fall detection feature on the watch a few years ago. When an Apple Watch SE, an Apple Watch Series 4 or a newer model detects a possible fall, you will immediately receive a notification. The watch vibrates and then plays an alarm to alert you and provide a response. If the Apple Watch detects that you have not responded after a minute, the emergency services will automatically be called.
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Turn on fall detection on Apple Watch
To enable the feature on your Apple Watch, follow the steps below. Open the Watch app on your iPhone and tap My Watch. Scroll down and tap ‘SOS emergency notification’. Under ‘Fall detection’, turn on the slider next to ‘Fall detection’.
Apple does say that you are more likely to activate Fall Detection if you are more physically active. Therefore, it is recommended that you enable the ‘Enabled for workouts’ feature. This can potentially reduce false detections.