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One of our clients describes :

As I waited on the arrival of my Family Assistance Smartwatch from Ton Ange Gardien, I found myself thinking about all the ways it would NOT work. Many times, a device that claims to be geared toward the elderly does not take into account failing eyesight or arthritic hands. Another issue to consider is appearance. Yes, the elderly is just as concerned about their appearance as everyone else. So, the device must not only work well, it must look stylish. No one wants to wear an object that screams “I’m helpless”. Pendants have that stigma attached to them. That is the reason why many elderly will not wear pendants, even though they potentially save lives.

Not Just Another Emergency Device
Ton Ange Gardien  tackles those concerns and goes the extra mile. The primary purpose is to provide a means of calling emergency services. Another feature with the Ton Ange Gardien allows a family member to contact the smartwatch wearer through voice chat or direct phone call. The wearer can answer the call or hear the message in the watch. This provides a quick and easy way to check in on your loved one when you may not have time for a conversation on the phone. Medecine reminders for regular medication but also punctual such as doctor appointments are an added feature to help simplify your life. These can be programmed in the app, with a short reminding message. 

Besides that, the watch has many other interesting functions. Heart Rate and Blood Pressure measures and graph history is quite interesting for seniors and for the caregivers also. It never was easier to check these parameters, many times a day and even on the go !

Activity screening with step counting and estimation of burned calories is there also, as a programmable sedenterity reminder.

And yes, the watch gives you the time also ! You can even have it read aloud the time and programs alarms.

Quick and Simple Access to Help
Fortunately, In many cases, the person who falls typically will only need assistance getting up. In those instances, an ambulance feels like overkill. With the Ton Ange Gardien, you can request both emergency and non-emergency help. To request help, the wearer simply push the SOS button for 5 secondes and the colored “SOS call” displays. They can then either hold down and swap the red “SOS call” display to cancel if this is a false alert or let it continue to call. A loved one listed on your call list or caregiver will communicate with you directly through the watch asking you what is the problem and what type of help you need and can call an ambulance. You can list anyone you want to be on the care circle list and the watch will notify them for you (in the order you prefer). If unable to respond, the watch continues calling. If an automatic responder takes the call, the watch then sends an SMS text to all three on the call list, with GPS coordinates of the last call. I gave this feature a spin to see how well it worked.
When I pressed the “SOS” button, a caring voice came through the watch (my daughter) to ask if I was ok and if I had an injury.  I liked the option to determine how I wanted the situation managed and who I wanted notified. Allowing me to decide who to call and what type of help I needed proves that the watch functions are tailored to the needs of the wearer. This is not a common “one size fits all” device.

My Survey Said:
Just to see what others would say about the watch, I demonstrated it to a few elderly friends. Some were in their 70s and one couple was in their late 80s. This was an informal survey but still provided interesting feedback. They all said that they would wear the watch over the pendant. They liked how the functions were easy to use. Some of them were familiar with the Apple watch and said “The Ton Ang Gardien is a step in the right direction”. Some of them lived in senior living communities where they were given pendants by the housing development to call emergency services. The problem with that was the pendants did not work outside the development. Unlike the pendants, the Ton Ange Gardien works most anywhere since it operates by GSM/GPRS and GPS signal. An important detail that could get lost in the list of benefits is how easy the battery charger attaches to the watch. Ton Ange Gardien has a magnetic base. It connects seamlessly, without the need to insert into a tiny port. Even those with the worst arthritis or poor eyesight can attach the charger.

But Wait, There’s More!
After attending a conference about financial abuse of the elderly, it occurred to me that Ton Ange Gardien  has a feature that is ideal to prevent this major problem. In an article by Forbes it is estimated that over 37 billion is stolen from the elderly every year. Much of that can be traced back to elder isolation and loneliness, which then leads to scammers calling who pretend to be a friend. Of course, they want the elderly’s money. Not with Ton Ange Gardien ! There is an anti harassement function embedded : Only numbers registered in the contacts via the application can call the watch ! All other calls go directly to the vocal responder.   If a loved one contacted the elderly wearer of Ton Ange gardien daily through the call or voice chat function, that would help prevent an intruder from entering the elderly’s life. All it takes is a simple question like : “Has a stranger called you today?” or “Has anyone asked you for money?” The wearer can answer with a simple “yes/no” answer. Depending on the answer, you would know whether to do more investigating or not. Don’t wait until you get a call from your parent’s bank saying “Your mother is withdrawing thousands of dollars. We thought you should know”. Ton Ange gardien can help prevent a financial meltdown for your parent and save you a ton of headaches.

What’s Not to Like?
For the elderly who want the security of having an emergency response device that offers extra features than just a help button, Ton Ange Gardien SOS GPS senior wrist watch will more than exceed their needs. It is ideal for family members who need a fast, secure way to stay in touch with a parent or grandparent. The smartwatch lives up to it’s name by giving the wearer the freedom to choose who to call and how they want help in the event of an emergency. This feature in particular I liked. For its ease of use, clear display and best of all, choices in contacting help, I highly recommend the Ton Ange Gardien watch.

For more information about this first-of-its-kind medical alert smartwatch visit www.tonangegardien.org