My Samsung Smartwatch Left Me for Dead

February 1, 2020 — “Hey, Smartwatch! You — The 21st century advanced life-saving equipment on my wrist. I’M ON THE FLOOR. You’re not calling 911 like Mr. Sprint Sales Guy said you would. You’re not even calling ME to ask if I’m okay and if maybe I might need a little help — like you calling 911! You’re not beeping. You’re as unresponsive as I would be if I had hit my head and rendered myself unconscious during this unfortunate incident. Your face IS lit up displaying the time — 5 AM. Thank you. I guess I needed to know that.”

Prologue to how I found myself on the floor with an uncooperative electronic device on which I should NOT have depended:

August 2019 — I opened my eyes to the realization that I was flat on my back on the floor, staring at the ceiling, too weak to move and confused as to how I got into such a state. I didn’t own a Smartwatch, I didn’t know where my cell phone was, and the house phone was missing from its cradle on the counter, which I could not have reached anyway. I drifted in and out of consciousness for hours, until I was eventually able to drag myself to my cell phone, which I saw lying on a chair ten feet from me. It may as well have been 10 miles, given the condition I was in, but I managed to call a friend, a retired nurse, who took me to the ER.

Most of what transpired while in the ER is a blur, but I do have a clear memory of the ER doctor telling me that most patients do not survive the amount and severity of the blood clots that were in my lungs.

After a week in Intensive Care and more procedures, blood work, and tests that stressed and confused me, I was sent home to recover — with Home Health nurses, physical and occupational therapists, and Home Health aides tending to me most days of the week.

It was during this time that I read an article about a hiker who had fallen off a cliff and was saved because his Apple Smartwatch detected the fall, recorded his longitude and latitude, and dialed 911.

Well, damn, I thought. That’s what I need.

My carrier was Sprint (now T-Mobile), so I went to the nearest store and compared Samsung Smartwatches that would pair up with my Samsung cell phone. Mr. Sprint Sales Guy assured me that the model I chose, although not an Apple Watch owned by the hiker in the article I read, had similar features, would detect a fall, and call 911.

I waited while he transferred my data. I carefully wrote down the basic instructions for using my new Smartwatch (a simpler version than reading pages of online technical jargon that is this century’s version of a “user manual.”)

I tried out the features I would be using regularly (exercise monitoring, texting, heart rate monitoring, step counter), and believed him when he said the “fall” feature was activated. It wasn’t something that could be tested by dropping the watch on the floor, but I stood next to him and heard him confirm the activation when he called his agent servicing center.

I put my new Smartwatch on my wrist and returned home with the assurance that I had added an extra layer of protection for my health and well-being.

BACK TO THE BEGINNING OF THIS STORY:

Here is where I started this story — 5 months into my recovery from the blood clots, on the floor again, with a Smartwatch that wasn’t dialing anyone on its own. Luckily, I hadn’t lost consciousness and I wasn’t in pain. HA- that was soon to change drastically. The knee that took the brunt of the fall looked only slightly swollen. That too was about to change dramatically.

I reached for the bed, leaned on it, and pulled myself to a standing position. Although I didn’t THINK I was badly injured, I was on a blood thinner and knew that falling while my blood was the consistency of water could cause a most undesirable reaction, such as internally hemorrhaging to death.

I called my friend, a different retired nurse than the one who saved my life during the previously mentioned fall. I have three retired nurse friends. I like to spread my business around fairly, ensuring they continually feel useful despite retiring.

It took her less than 10 minutes to get to my house, 10 minutes to get me to the ER, and another 10 minutes of ER intake. In those 30 minutes, my knee tripled in size and turned magenta. I was unable to bend my leg, due to pain more excruciating than a broken bone.

No bones were broken. The diagnosis was “massive hematoma” for which I was once again admitted to the hospital.

This turned out to be no simple fall. (WARNING — NO FALL IS SIMPLE, especially for an older person. ALWAYS go to the ER after a fall). It took a year of more hospitalizations, minimally effective physical therapy, and a nearly fatal case of cellulitis that was unresponsive to all oral antibiotics, before the last-ditch effort by an Infectious Disease Specialist returned me to a semblance of normalcy. He ordered a one-time infusion of an antibiotic so powerful that only certain specialized medical professionals are allowed to prescribe it.

That fall left me with permanent nerve damage, resulting in total numbness in my knee, wobbly mobility, thin skin easily subjected to infection from a simple scratch, and a high risk for more falls.

Although it wasn’t the Smartwatch’s fault I was so badly injured, and I was lucky to have not lost consciousness, allowing me to call for help myself, the fact remains that the watch did not perform as promised.

I was eager to bring it to a Sprint/T-Mobile store to diagnose the problem, but note the date of the incident. February 2020. One month before the world shut down due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Stores were closed. In-person customer service was non-existent.

I spent most of the lockdown year struggling to recover, purchased a Medical Alert “fall’ button, then moved in with family, who were always with me, so diagnosing the watch’s problem took a back seat on my priority list. All of the other features that I used on it worked perfectly.

Now that the year with family is over, I am living alone again, albeit with “well checks” by the staff at my Independent Living Community.

My Smartwatch has aged along with me. Its back disc is held together with tape, and although it still doesn’t call 911 on its own, it does have an excellent self-preservation feature. It continually warns ME when to turn it off, so it doesn’t burn itself up.

Before I purchase a replacement, I have learned -

THE FOUR MOST IMPORTANT QUESTIONS TO ASK THE SALES ASSOCIATE BEFORE PURCHASING A SMARTWATCH WITH AN EMERGENCY “CALL” FEATURE:

1. Is there an activation setting that needs to be turned on for the watch to call for emergency assistance?

2. Is there a monthly or one-time fee for the “emergency call” to work?

3. Does the setting have to be checked for proper functioning on a regular basis?

4. Do regular upgrades to the watch and/or phone affect its functioning?

If you are thinking of purchasing a Smartwatch with an “emergency call feature,” I urge you to ask those same four questions. It’s not an exaggeration to say that getting the correct answers could save your life.

Originally published in the Medium.com publication, Crow's Feet.

©2022 Joan Gershman