From SanoLabs, the makers of the Sam app
Find the watch your parent will actually wear
A smartwatch for seniors only helps if it gets worn. Five short questions show you example devices that fit, and what no watch can do.
Question 1 of 5
What should the watch do?
Pick as many as you like
Pick at least one answer.
What no watch can do
- Measure blood pressure reliably. Upper-arm monitors do that.
- Measure blood sugar.
- Catch every fall. It also does not replace an emergency service.
- Diagnose anything. An ECG or an irregular-rhythm notice is not a diagnosis either.
- Decide whether your parent wants one. That is best settled together.
Next: an overview for the doctor visit
Sam can read values like sleep and heart rate from Apple Health and summarize them for the doctor visit. Your parent needs an iPhone for that.
- From Apple Health
- Doctor report as PDF
- Not a medical device
What families often ask
Will my parent really wear it?+
That is your parent's call. Ask first whether they want a watch, and pick the strap and watch face together.
Can I hand down a watch we already own?+
Yes, if it pairs with your parent's phone. An Apple Watch generally needs an iPhone, and a Galaxy Watch needs an Android phone.
Can a blood pressure watch replace the cuff?+
No. According to the American Heart Association (2025), blood pressure values without a cuff, such as from a watch or ring, are not yet adequately validated. At home, a validated upper-arm monitor is the standard. Since September 2025 the US FDA has advised against unauthorized devices that claim to measure blood pressure, including software features on smartwatches and smart rings.
Does fall detection call for help by itself?+
On some watches, a fall the watch registers starts a countdown, and then, depending on the model, the watch places an emergency call or sends a message to emergency contacts. The watch does not catch every fall and is not a monitored emergency service. In an emergency, call your local emergency number (112 in the EU, 999 in the UK, 911 in the US).
Do the watch values come with an assessment from Sam?+
No. Sam can read values from Apple Health and summarize them for the doctor visit. A doctor makes the assessment.
Can I see my parent's values?+
Only if your parent invites you to Care Circle and shares something with you. You see it read-only and get no alerts about their data, and they can end it any time. You both need Sam.
Sources
These sources concern the devices and medical guidance, not the Sam app. Device details as of 4 October 2026.
- Apple, "Fall Detection with Apple Watch", Apple Support, support.apple.com/en-us/108896.
- Apple, "Compare Apple Watch models", apple.com/watch/compare.
- Samsung, "Use the Detect falls feature on your Galaxy Watch", Samsung Support, samsung.com/ca/support/mobile-devices/galaxy-watch-detect-falls.
- Withings, "ScanWatch 2", product page, withings.com.
- FDA, "Do Not Use Unauthorized Devices for Measuring Blood Pressure: FDA Safety Communication", 16 September 2025, fda.gov.
- FDA, "Do Not Use Smartwatches or Smart Rings to Measure Blood Glucose Levels: FDA Safety Communication", 21 February 2024, fda.gov.
- Cohen et al., "Cuffless Devices for the Measurement of Blood Pressure: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association", Hypertension 2025.
- McEvoy et al., 2024 ESC Guidelines for the management of elevated blood pressure and hypertension, European Heart Journal 2024.
- German Hypertension Society (Deutsche Hochdruckliga), blood pressure monitors with quality seal, hochdruckliga.de.
Take care of your parents.
Sam keeps a record of how the weeks went, so you have something concrete to bring to the doctor.
Sam is a wellness companion, not a medical device. Sam does not diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any condition, does not detect heart disease, AFib, a stroke or a heart attack, and does not replace a doctor. The devices named are examples, not medical advice, and are not part of Sam. Wearable values are trends, not medical measurements. A watch does not measure blood pressure reliably, and fall detection does not replace an emergency service. For acute symptoms, call your local emergency number.