APPLE iWATCH TO THE RESCUE
We’ve been talking about the benefits of proactive medicine for some time. Most recently in regards to the Apple iWatch and how it fits into a strategic approach for keeping you healthy.
Little did we know when I published my last article a couple of months back that the Apple iWatch would come into play with one of our team member’s families.
Jonathan, who does communications, research, and special projects for us, reports that the Afib alarm on his 91-year-old father’s iWatch went off recently.
Fortunately, he did not ignore the warning and after a discussion, their family Dr. was called and he was sent to emergency. It likely saved his life.
Atrial fibrillation or Afib for short is the most common type of heart issue. It occurs when the two chambers of the heart get out of sequence and the heart rate starts to fluctuate dramatically.
In many cases, it occurs just prior to a massive cardiac attack. It’s also a leading cause of stroke.
In this case, the family was likely able to sidestep the likely catastrophe. The father was put on a blood thinner and Amiodarone. For the past month, it has brought his heart rate down from as high as 180 to a routine 50-60 beats per minute.
The best line from the whole episode goes to the cardiologist. Quite amazed at what happened, he stated
“You know your father is quite the remarkable man. I’ve never seen a 91-year old that even knew how to operate an Apple Watch, let alone diagnose his own heart condition.”
As I previously pointed out, Apple continues to add additional health technologies to its platform. This is something they’re in on for the long term because you can’t put a price on health.
One of our suppliers (Manulife) has an insurance program named Vitality that can provide with a free Apple Watch for qualified participants. They not only can provide lower insurance rates for those enrolled, there is also a suite of health related initiatives that participants have access to.
You can contact Sean who deals with the program here at our office and book a telephone, Zoom or in person.
Regardless of whether or not it’s time to review your insurance, consider an investment in this type of technology and you’ll see a myriad of benefits that will improve your life while reassuring your loved ones.
Cass
P.S. It’s also worth noting that Withings has a new competing product for those people who are on Android. The Scanwatch will run you about $350 Cdn which is a small price to pay for the peace of mind you’ll get.
