SOS watches for seniors: what they do and where they fall short

Smartwatches for seniors with an SOS button are one of the most common gifts families buy for parents who live alone. They make sense — but they come with one condition that is easy to forget in the shop: they have to be on the wrist.

What SOS watches for seniors usually do

• An SOS button that calls or texts the numbers you set.
• Calling like a phone, often only to a few preset contacts.
• GPS location, so the family can see where the senior is when they are out.
• Makers of some models also claim automatic fall recognition or heart-rate measurement.

Where a watch is not enough

• Charging: every day or every few days the watch sits on the charger, not on the wrist.
• Night: most people take it off for the night — and night is when people get up to go to the toilet.
• Bathroom: not every model is shower-proof, so it stays on the shelf.
• Willingness to wear it: some seniors refuse, because it reminds them they are being “watched”.
• The press: SOS only works when someone presses it.

At home, sensors that nobody wears help

Motion and presence sensors in the flat need no charging, and the senior doesn't have to wear or operate anything. The system learns what a usual day looks like and messages the family when something is different: nothing moved anywhere by the usual morning hour, presence in the bathroom but no movement for twenty minutes, or a night-time trip to the toilet with no return. A wall button by the bed and in the bathroom, or a pendant, can be added.

What to choose when

• Goes out a lot — shopping, the garden, walks: a watch with GPS.
• Spends most of the day at home or refuses to wear a watch: sensors in the flat.
• Both: the watch for outings, sensors for the home. They don't get in each other's way.