The Evolution of Wearable Alert Systems: From Health Care to Lifestyle, Personal Safety, and Beyond
- mhauser994
- Mar 19, 2024
- 3 min read
As published in the SV March 2024 Newsletter
In 1972, gerontologist Andrew Dibner's curiosity about how elderly individuals might seek help when alone sparked the inception of smart medical alert systems, turning a conceptual vision into tangible reality.* Decades later, these medical alert devices have evolved into much more.
In our tech-driven world, smart personal alert systems are vital for maintaining independence while ensuring health and safety. These devices combine traditional features with cutting-edge technology, offering advanced monitoring and proactive personal safety and healthy lifestyle.
Smart alert systems, or personal emergency response systems (PERS), are wearable devices with call buttons that connect users to monitoring centers for quick assistance during medical emergencies or personal crises.
Smart personal medical and safety alert systems offer crucial features: wearable devices with GPS tracking ensure real-time location monitoring, essential for those prone to wandering. Fall detection sensors issue alerts automatically, aiding at-risk individuals unable to activate the call button. Two-way voice communication allows direct interaction with staff or contacts, sharing needs until help arrives. Some systems have mobile apps for caregivers, enabling real-time monitoring and information sharing. They also include health and activity monitoring, tracking vital signs and medication reminders, and integrate with other health devices for proactive management.
These wearable devices offer various benefits, providing 24/7 assistance for emergencies, falls, or personal crises, enhancing safety. They promote independence while keeping users connected to assistance, offering peace of mind for both users and loved ones. With swift response capabilities, they summon assistance within minutes, minimizing risks during emergencies. Moreover, they improve care coordination by providing real-time access to users' statuses and locations, facilitating better communication among caregivers, family, and healthcare professionals. Additionally, they include features for health and activity monitoring, empowering users to manage their well-being effectively.
The Future: Beyond Smart Medical Alert Systems
As technology continues to advance, these systems are poised to transcend their current capabilities and provide revolutionary benefits not just for personal health, but for safety, lifestyle, home automation, and more:*
Personal safety devices: Discreet devices capable of attracting attention and deterring attackers.
Smart Home integration: Seamless integration with home automation for environment-based emergency responses.
Global connectivity and universal assistance: Access to emergency services regardless of location.
Merging health and lifestyle: Smart devices seamlessly blending into daily life while prioritizing health and safety.
Fashionable form factors: Functional and stylish designs encouraging widespread adoption.
Smart and responsible pet care: Pet-friendly tags ensuring continuous alerts for medical emergencies, feeding schedules, and locating missing pets.
WAVE: Elevating the Personal Safety Standard with Drowning Prevention Technology
One such revolutionary personal safety alert product gaining significant traction is the WAVE Drowning Prevention System (https://www.saferswimming.com). Much like seat belts, bicycle helmets, and car seats, which are personal safety technologies that have become widespread and have had a significant positive impact on personal safety, WAVE’s technology is poised to become the new safety standard for swimmers everywhere.
In the US alone, there are over 20,000 drownings and 4,000 fatalities annually. WAVE’s unique technology addresses this risk by promptly alerting lifeguards or guardians when a swimmer is in immediate danger, significantly reducing the likelihood of tragic outcomes. Much the way a LifeAlert™ wearable is worn by an elderly or disabled person to help alert loved ones or other guardians that they’ve fallen and need assistance, the WAVE Tracker is worn by a swimmer and alerts lifeguards or family members that a swimmer has been submerged for too long and is in imminent danger of drowning.
The combination of WAVE Trackers on swimmers and WAVE’s Lifeguard Entry Alert (LEA) Tags, which send an alert when a guard has entered the water, can dramatically reduce the risk of drowning, since WAVE’s technology can be deployed not just in pools, but in lakes, ponds, and other bodies of water, and works whether the water is clear or murky. These smart, personal safety wearables from WAVE are already changing the way YMCAs, Boys and Girls Clubs, schools, and municipalities are protecting swimmers and their families every day, and are deployed in 26 states across the country.Â