Heatwave Safety for the Elderly
The summer months bring sunshine, BBQs and long days spent enjoying the outdoors. However, when temperatures soar, it’s important to take care to stay safe in the heat. While we can all feel the effects of a heatwave, it’s particularly important to look out for our elderly loved ones.

As we age, our bodies become less able to regulate temperature, meaning we’re more prone to heat exhaustion and heatstroke. With this in mind, here are some top tips for helping your elderly loved ones stay safe in the heat during a heatwave.

Hydration is Key
Staying hydrated is always important, but it’s particularly crucial during a heatwave. Encourage your elderly loved ones to drink regularly, even if they don’t feel thirsty.
• Make sure they have plenty of water available, at least 6-8 cups per day
• Offer icy cold drinks like smoothies or homemade ice-lollies to make it more pleasant to drink

Keep Cool
When temperatures soar, it’s important to keep cool. Encourage your elderly loved ones to:
• Stay indoors between 11am and 3pm, when the sun is at its strongest
• Keep windows and doors closed during the day, and open them at night to let cool air in
• Use a fan to circulate air (in extreme circumstances use air conditioning)
• Wear light, breathable clothing
• Take cool baths or showers

Check up on them regularly
If you have elderly relatives or neighbours, take the time to check up on them regularly during a heatwave, either in person or over the phone. This can be particularly important for those who live alone, or who are more vulnerable.
• Check in on them once in the morning and once in the evening
• Encourage them to call you if they feel unwell
• Keep an eye out for symptoms of heat exhaustion or heatstroke

Know the Symptoms
Heatstroke can be life-threatening, so knowing its symptoms is crucial. Watch out for:
• Headaches
• Dizziness and confusion
• Nausea or vomiting
• Excessive sweating
• Rapid heartbeat
• Muscle cramps
• Dark urine

If you spot these symptoms in yourself or a loved one, it’s important to act fast:
• Move to a cool place and rest
• Drink plenty of water
• Use a fan or cold compresses to cool down
• Seek medical help if symptoms don’t improve

Stay Safe in the Sun
While it’s important to get some sun for vitamin D, it’s equally important to stay safe in it. Encourage your elderly loved ones to:
• Wear a hat and loose, light clothing
• Use suncream with a high SPF
• Stay in the shade where possible
• Wear sunglasses to protect their eyes

To conclude, heatwaves can be dangerous for everyone, but particularly for the elderly. By taking some simple steps to stay cool, hydrated, and safe in the sun, we can help our elderly loved ones see out the summer in comfort.
WatchOvers.com

New Assure 4G Mobile SOS Personal Alarm Watch Saves Lives

Elder falling is a major concern for any family that has elderly loved ones living on their own, and especially for independent elders who can function on their own but might end up needing immediate help in an emergency.

Luckily, that doesn’t have to be a problem, anymore. Thanks to advances in technology, and WatchOver's dedication to making independent living not only possible but easy, you and your loved ones can rest easy.

Our latest product is the Assure 4G SOS Personal Alarm Watch, and it has some exciting, lifesaving, features that we’re proud to show off, now.

Let’s get started.

Five Key Features that Keep You Safe

The Assure 4G SOS Personal Alarm Watch is our 3^rd generation watch phone. Not only have we been doing this for a long time, but this is a culmination of all our efforts to create the finest, most reliable, and most effective product money can buy. 

There are five main features that make Assure 4G stand out from the competition. 

Fall Alert with Automatic Calling:

If you or your elderly family member takes a tumble that knocks them unconscious, they won’t be able to do something such as dial a phone number or even hit a simple auto-call button. That’s why the Assure 4G comes with automatic fall detection and calling. 

If you fall and lose consciousness or the ability to manipulate objects, the Assure 4G will automatically place the call for you; even in the worst-case scenario, help is on the way. 

Video Calling and 2-Way Calling:

In the unfortunate event that the worst happens, and you seriously hurt yourself after a fall, the Assure 4G provides video calls and 2-way calling with your loved ones. You’re not stuck on the phone with customer support; you get to speak directly to the people you love and are comfortable with. This can make all the difference in a serious situation. 

GPS Location

Just letting someone know that you’ve fallen isn’t enough. If they can’t get to you quickly, it might be too late. 

That’s why we’ve incorporated the latest in GPS location technology to pinpoint your exact location at all times. If you’re wearing the Assure 4G, help will know exactly where to find you. 

This feature can also increase independence in elders who suffer from other conditions and might get lost or wander away from safe areas. 

1-Button Design:

The one-button design of the Assure 4G makes it exceptionally easy to use day-to-day. There are no complicated tech gizmos or silly operating requirements to worry about; even if you’re not good with tech. 

Quality of Life Features:

On top of its emergency features, the Assure 4G also functions like a standard smartwatch. You can set medical alerts to remind you to take medications or schedule doctor appointments, track your health, and have a multitude of other exciting features that will help you enjoy independent living safely. 

Try the New Assure 4G for Independent Living

Independent living can be scary. Thousands of elders fall and suffer serious injuries every year. The new Assure 4G was crafted with the purpose of preventing that. 

At WatchOvers, our approach is that we’re family caring for family. We put the best we have to offer into this SOS personal alarm watch just like we want for our own loved ones.

 If you’re living independently, or you have an elderly relative who does, or someone who needs support, try the Assure 4G Personal Alarm watch to keep everyone healthy, safe, and happy.  You will find full details at www.watchovers.com  

 

The Elderly and Falling: Staying Safe with Independent Living

It’s an unfortunate fact that, while people are enjoying longer and more fruitful lives overall, there are serious risks posed to elderly people due to their bodies continuously degrading over time. One of the biggest risks facing elderly individuals across the UK and Ireland is the risk of falling.

This year, one in three people over the age of 65 will sustain a potentially life-threatening fall. For those over the age of 80, the number is more staggering, and the falls are potentially more deadly.

We want to go over the fall risk posed to seniors, why it’s such a big deal to those living independently, and a solution to this problem that can allow seniors to maintain their independence safely.

The Risks of Falling and the Need for Immediate Help

Fall situations are extremely common, and they can create devastating situations for the elderly.

Unlike falling as a child, or when someone is in their prime, seniors face an increased chance of serious fractures, more substantial blood loss, concussions, or internal bleeding. This is largely caused by a lack of bone density, more fragile skin, and general degradation of the bodily integrity they had when they were young.

Those injuries are all extremely serious, and if they’re left unchecked, they can be deadly without the person even knowing that the situation is as bad as it is.

As such, it's important for seniors to get help as soon as possible when a fall occurs. Even if they feel as if their injuries are minor and they just need a bit of time to shake them off. A simple headache can be a concussion with life-threatening consequences, large patches of bruising might be internal bleeding that doesn't become obvious until it's too late, and a sore limb or bone might be a fracture that needs to be checked and wrapped immediately to prevent the development of worse issues.

How Living Alone can Make Falls Worse

Everyone wants to live independently, and as long as that’s a safe option, it should be something that seniors are allowed to do. However, independent living can make falls much worse; there’s no one around to help when a senior falls and can’t get themselves up, and it might be days before anyone outside of the home realises something is wrong. By then, the senior might succumb to wounds that could have easily been treated with immediate care.

How SOS Devices Help Seniors Stay Safe

A lot of the issues we mentioned above can be minimized with planning, a good sense of communication between family members and neighbours, and of course, having preemptive measures set up such as bathroom railings, staircase aids, and their home free of trip hazards. Knowing those key points is crucial for independent living. However, the risk of falling will always be present for seniors.

There is a solution; SOS devices can get help as soon as it’s required.

An SOS device is something that an elderly person can wear on their body, and when they fall, the device can be used to immediately contact help; whether the individual is able to stand up and reach a phone or not. Once the SOS is activated in an elderly falling situation, a service is contacted to dispatch help; how that help is received varies depending on the system.

An SOS system is important, because having something such as an SOS watch, means that elderly individuals can maintain independent living without worrying about a fall leaving them helpless until someone happens to stumble upon them. Help can be reached immediately, and the many life-threatening risks associated with elderly falling are minimized.

Nik for WatchOvers.com 22nd September 2022