Everyone can benefit from owning an Apple Watch with all the innovative health, connectivity, and fitness benefits it offers. This applies particularly if you’re a senior, or if you’re caring for a senior family member.
If you’re investing in an Apple Watch for a senior, here are some factors to consider in your purchase and when you set up your device to maximize its potential.
1. Purchase the Most Suitable Apple Watch Model
Most Apple Watch models (except the top-of-the-range Apple Watch Ultra) offer you the choice of a GPS cellular-equipped or GPS-only model.
A GPS model may seem sufficient if the user already has an iPhone. However, for any senior who doesn’t own an iPhone or wants to use the watch as a standalone device, it’s an excellent idea to opt for the GPS + Cellular option. This is because you can communicate via text or phone without having a smartphone connected to the watch.
The even more important advantage of wearing a GPS + Cellular model is that you’ll have access to theApple Emergency SOS featureright from your Apple Watch in many countries. This means that if you need urgent help in the event of an accident or fall, your watch will call emergency services and alert your emergency contacts. Consult theApple websiteto see which carriers are available in your country.
2. Consider the Most Suitable Apple Watch Size and Strap
There’s also plenty to consider when deciding which Apple Watch physical size and strap will best suit the senior’s needs.
Many Apple Watch models come in two different sizes. If the wearer has poor eyesight, they may need to wear the larger display size to be able to read the text more easily. On the other hand, smaller displays are lighter and therefore easier to wear all day.
And it’s not just size: you’ll also need to consider the case materials, with aluminum casings far lighter than stainless steel. It all adds up. For example, the Apple Watch Ultra is a weighty 61.3 grams, compared with the smallest edition of the latest Apple Watch SE model, which weighs just 26.4 grams.
The strap is another important consideration, with some straps being considerably easier to put on and remove. If the senior who’s going to be wearing the watch has any dexterity issues, you could consider a “loop” option with no clasp or buckle.Apple’s watch band shopcontains each model’s available variations.
3. Use Accessibility to Optimize the Apple Watch Settings for the User’s Needs
Once you’ve chosen the best Apple Watch model for the senior, it’s time to set it up. If the wearer doesn’t have an iPhone, it’s no problem.Family Setup lets you use your Apple Watch without an iPhone.
If the senior has any eyesight issues, you can customize the display to ensure it suits their needs with a comprehensive range of features. Access these in the Apple Watch menu by going toSettings > Accessibility.
Here you can enable theZoomfunction to enlarge parts of the display. Alternatively, enlarge the text size, use bold text, reduce background transparency, change the display to grayscale, and toggle descriptive labels on or off. Further display options are atSettings > Display & Brightness.
Select from the options within theVoiceoversection for users with more limited vision. Voiceover speaks items on the screen. you may choose the speaking speed, voice, volume, and whether to use haptics. Further options include Braille and even theScreen Curtainfeature, which turns the display off completely and uses only Voiceover to operate the watch.
For users with hearing issues, scroll further down theAccessibilitymenu to access the audio settings or go toSettings > Sounds & Haptics.
AMotorsection within Accessibility allows users with less mobility to customize some touch controls, such as the side button click speed, to suit.
4. Set Up Apple Watch Health Features
One of the key benefits of wearing your Apple Watch is as a health monitoring tool. Because yourApple Watch can help you monitor multiple health conditions, including heart health, you should spend a little time entering key data and setting up the health features in the Health app on your (or your family member’s) iPhone.
Once you’ve gone through the initial setup using our completeguide to the Health app and how to use it, you won’t need to do anything more. The Health app will work away in the background, recording data from the Apple Watch and sending health alerts if you need them.
At any point, you can check and add the metrics you’re monitoring within the Health app on the iPhone. Look for theHealth Checklistfeature from the Summary tab, which will advise you if anything needs attention or is not yet fully set up.
5. Enable Health Data Sharing
If the senior manages their Apple Watch on their iPhone, enablinghealth data sharing in the iOS Health appis a must, especially if you don’t live nearby.
Apple Health Sharing allows users to securely share their health information with up to five friends and family members. Setting it up is a straightforward process:
6. Set Up Medications on the User’s Apple Watch
If the senior wearing the Apple Watch takes medication, set up the Medications feature to let the user track their medication and get reminders on their Apple Watch when it’s time to take the next dose. UseMedications in the Health appto set up this feature.
7. Set Up Medical ID and Emergency Contacts
The Medical ID feature on Apple Watch contains all the medical information people need to know about you in an emergency. It includes names, medical conditions, medications, allergies, and more.
Follow this guide onhow to set up Medical ID, and then make sure with these few steps that anyone can access the information in an emergency:
Since the user’s emergency contact details will be displayed here, ensure you’ve added these.
Here’s how:
Once you’ve added at least one name here, the user can use Siri to call that person instantly from their Apple Watch with the command, “Hey Siri, call my emergency contact.”
8. Enable Location Tracking
Location tracking using Find Mywill be useful if the senior has any illness or condition that could cause confusion and the tendency to wander off or get lost. When you first pair your Apple Watch with your iPhone, it automatically adds the device to the Find My app.
Open the app and make sure the device is in your list. Now, as long as the senior’s Apple Watch is connected to an iPhone or Wi-Fi network or is a Cellular model watch, you can always see their location when they’re wearing the device.
9. Enable Fall Detection
Fall Detection, available on Apple Watch Series 4 and later, will be automatically enabled when you set up the watch for a user aged 55 or older. you’re able to alsoturn on Fall Detection for your Apple Watchmanually.
Check that this is enabled because the Apple Watch will sound an alarm and attempt to contact emergency services if it detects a hard fall and no movements for about a minute afterward. Again, the Apple Watch must be connected to a network for this feature to work successfully.
Now you’veprepared your Apple Watch for emergencies. Let’s hope you never need to use any of them!
Apple Watch Could Be a Life-Saving Device When Set Up Correctly
Caring for a senior loved one with increasingly fragile health or mobility can be difficult. Investing in an Apple Watch, and taking the time to set it up correctly for the wearer, will be well worth your effort.
Once you’ve followed these steps, your loved one will have an instant communication device that is also a great health monitor. And if the worst happens, it will alert you and the emergency services when help is needed.
