Choosing a Talking Watch for the blind and visually Impaired

It’s not uncommon for older people to experience worsening vision. Cataracts, macular degeneration and diabetes, among many other conditions, can cause seniors to become visually impaired.

For those affected, a talking watch for blind people can provide crucial assistance. This type of watch says the time out loud when a button is pressed. It may also have a setting where it says the time every hour – and some watches have even more sophisticated functions, too.

It’s a good thing that so many kinds of speaking watch for the blind or visually impaired are available. However, this variety of choices can be a little confusing.

In this post, we’ll explore some types of watches for the visually impaired and their benefits so that you can choose the right watch for you.

Radio controlled watches and auto-adjusting digital watches

If an older person has limited enough vision to require a speaking watch, then they might really struggle to set the watch’s time forward or back, such as for Daylight Savings Time.

Radio controlled watches or digital watches have an advantage here because they adjust their time automatically when the clocks change.

Strap type

The choice of a metal, leather or faux leather, fabric or silicone watch band is partly based on taste. But the strap on a talking watch for the blind matters for other reasons, too.

If an older person has stiffness or pain in their fingers due to arthritis, they might struggle to fasten a traditional buckle. In that case, a simpler type of fastening might be better.

It’s also worth considering whether a watch is showerproof or not. A showerproof watch with a silicone band may be easier for an older person who is blind. There’s no chance of misplacing the watch during the shower, and there’s no need to struggle with a watch fastening before and after the shower.

For example, a watch with an expandable metal strap allows an older person to slip it on and off without using any fastening. However, it is not showerproof.

Analogue or digital watches

For older people who are fully blind, the visual display on their watch might not matter at all. On the other hand, those who are visually impaired but can see a large-scale watch face in good light might have a preference for either the analogue or digital option. A backlit display on the watch face can also make seeing the time easier in moments when a wearer prefers not to use the speaking function.

The choice between an analogue and digital watch face may be especially important for seniors who are visually impaired and experiencing dementia. Typically, people with dementia struggle with understanding analogue clock faces, so a digital face might be preferred.

Reminders

Some speaking watches are very simple – they just read the time aloud when you press a button.

However, a more sophisticated watch for the visually impaired may have reminder functions or even calendar functions. That’s helpful to any elderly person, but it’s especially helpful to a senior with dementia or for an older person who needs to take medication exactly on time.

For example, this large-face digital watch allows the user to set multiple alarms as reminders.

Fall detection and alarm button

It’s well known that falls are a significant risk for the elderly. That’s even more the case for an older person with vision impairments or blindness.

However, there are functions you can get in a speaking watch for the blind that can help if a fall does occur.

One of these is automatic fall detection. This simply means that the watch can feel that its wearer has fallen. When the watch detects a fall, it calls for help immediately – which is extra helpful for an older person who is blind and can’t see how to get to a phone.

A one-touch alarm function is also immensely helpful. This is not an alarm in the sense of a reminder. It’s an alarm button that you press when there’s an emergency. Again, for a blind older person who needs help fast, this function ensures no time is lost while they find a phone and dial it.

The SureSafeGO personal alarm in the form of a watch includes these functions as well as medication reminders and, of course, the ability to speak the time aloud. If an emergency does happen, the wearer can even talk to someone through the watch to give information or receive reassurance. For an older person with vision impairment in a stressful situation, that could make a huge difference.

The SureSafeGO is also showerproof, ensuring peace of mind about falls 24/7. And if an older person has dementia, this watch can help with that too. It includes a “geo-fence” function that sends an alert if the wearer has left a predetermined area. That’s handy for an older person whose dementia makes them prone to wandering or leaving the house while carers are asleep.

How SureSafe helps keep seniors with vision impairments safe

If you’re investing in a watch for the visually impaired, it just makes sense to choose a watch that offers as much assistance as possible. The SureSafeGO does just that, combining the usefulness of a talking watch for the blind with the peace of mind offered by a personal alarm for the elderly.

It’s available as a watch or as a simpler pendant. When you choose its watch form, with all the functions we’ve discussed, you can then choose a family monitored option or a 24/7 monitoring option.

With a family monitored SureSafeGO alarm, the device will call up to five of your friends and family when there’s an emergency. On the other hand, the 24/7 monitoring option connects to an expert response centre when its wearer needs help. The choice is yours, depending on your preferences or needs.

Need to chat more about SureSafeGO’s talking watch functionalities or its other features? Just give us a call on 0800 112 3201, get in touch through our live chat or you can request a call back.