Happy Wife, etc.

[CAPTCRUNCH]

I am 79. I sometimes boat alone for a few days. My family would feel better about the health risks involved if they could monitor or check up on my welfare by using some clever app. Does anybody here know of an app or service that would periodically ask me to push a button to confirm all is OK and would send an alarm to designated persons if there is no reply from me? Or something involving smart phones and watches that would report my heart rate, O2 level, and location to my people? Thanks.

 

[scross]

There are numerous solutions that may meet your needs. All involve satellite communications using mostly text messaging and position reporting. They all require subscription plans. Here’s three to consider:
Spot X ($200) with seasonal usage plans from $15 to $30 month.
Zoleo that works with your smartphone ($150) with plans $20 to $50 month
Garmin InReach Mini 2 ($350) plus $15 month and up

These are all relatively small units that you could take with you on island hikes, dinghy trips, etc. I think all three have a panic SOS button on them. While none of these options do active health monitoring, you checking in several times a day via text and having your position automatically reported in near real time should calm many concerns.

I’d also recommend a PLB emergency satellite beacon that you can activate in seconds if there’s any kind of emergency where you need assistance. No subscription plan is required. We have the ACR ResQLink in our boat and feel safer with it onboard. I’d carry the PLB even with another tracking/messaging device with the PLB as backup.

 

[Bruce Moore]

An Apple Watch provides some health monitoring and notification benefits.

https://support.apple.com/guide/watch/s ... 19/watchos
https://support.apple.com/guide/watch/t ... atchos/9.0
https://support.apple.com/guide/watch/s ... atchos/9.0

Cheers,

Bruce