From SanoLabs, the makers of the Sam app
Stand by a parent with AFib, calmly and usefully
Supporting a parent with atrial fibrillation means keeping the medication list, collecting questions for the appointment and knowing the emergency signs, without checking numbers all the time.
What can you do, concretely?
- Ask for the medication listWrite down what is taken, blood thinners included. Changes are the doctor's decision.
- Write symptoms down with datesSome feel a pounding heart, many notice nothing. Note when something stood out.
- Offer to come to the appointmentYou take notes, your parent talks. Collecting questions beforehand helps.
- Do not treat a watch notice as a verdictIf a watch shows an irregular rhythm, call the practice. It is not a diagnosis.
What can you say?
You could say Can I help with the tablets in some way?
You offer help without checking up.
You could say Want me to come to the appointment and take notes?
You take the notes off their hands.
You could say If the watch shows something, we call the practice together.
You decide together, not the watch.
Sam for your parent
Symptoms with dates instead of memory gaps
At the appointment it matters when something stood out. Your parent notes it in Sam, and Sam is not a heart monitor.
- Symptoms with datesRacing or skipped heartbeat, dizziness or breathlessness go in with a day and a strength, in a few taps.
- Apple Health feeds inSam picks up sleep, steps and resting heart rate from Apple Health. Sam does not analyze a heart rhythm.
- Monthly report to take alongSleep and activity for a month go into a report your parent takes to the visit as a PDF.
- Share what they chooseWith Care Circle your parent shares entries, such as symptoms. You see them read-only, and you both need Sam.
Racing heartbeat, Skipped heartbeat
Duration and history
from today
from today
To the appointment with dates, not guesses
Instead ofguessing from memory when the palpitations happened
In SamDate and strength are in the diary.
Instead ofnotes on loose slips of paper
In SamEntries in Sam and one report per month.
Instead ofasking all the time whether the watch shows something
In SamSelected entries your parent shares, read-only.
Sam records and shows what your parent enters; it does not detect atrial fibrillation, and only a doctor can make sense of it.
Questions adult children ask
EmergencyWhen should I get help right away?+
This is general safety information, not a diagnosis. It does not tell you whether your parent has a health condition. These signs need help right away:
- One side of the face droops, an arm cannot be lifted or speech is slurred
- Chest pain, pressure or tightness
- Severe shortness of breath
- Fainting or severe dizziness
- Sudden loss of sight, severe headache or confusion
In these cases get help now: call your local emergency number (112 in the EU, 999 in the UK, 911 in the US). Do not use this list to decide on your own whether something is wrong.
What does a smartwatch say about atrial fibrillation?+
Some watches have an ECG or a notice about an irregular rhythm. That is a feature of the watch, not a diagnosis. A doctor decides whether atrial fibrillation is present.
What can Sam do for atrial fibrillation?+
Sam shows trends from Apple Health and sums them up as a monthly report. Sam does not monitor the heart and does not warn.
Why does my father take blood thinners?+
With atrial fibrillation, blood clots form more easily and can cause a stroke. Blood thinners are meant to reduce that risk. The doctor decides whether they fit and which ones.
Does Sam replace the doctor?+
No. Sam is a wellness companion, not a medical device. A doctor makes the assessment.
Sources
Last updated: October 2026
Bring questions and trends to the appointment
Sam sums up the trends as a monthly report, so you both have something concrete to bring to the doctor.
Sam is a wellness companion, not a medical device. Sam does not detect atrial fibrillation, does not diagnose or treat anything and does not replace a doctor. For acute symptoms call your local emergency number (112 in the EU, 999 in the UK, 911 in the US).