Diskoveries

Diskoveries By Joan Tanenhaus

product review

THE APPLE WATCH AND SPECIAL NEEDS HEALTH AND SAFETY: PART 2

hardware and software updates. It has an electrical heart sen- sor and ECG (electrocardiogram) capabilities, along with a next generation accelerometer and gyroscope for Fall Detection. This article will focus on these two new cutting-edge features, Fall Detection and ECG Capabilities, along with some addition- al information about other new changes and improvements. (https://www.apple.com/watch/)

Apple Watch Series 4 (www.apple.com)

The Apple Watch was designed and declared a tool for health and fitness right from its beginning. Apple Watch Series 1, 2 and 3 have an optical heart sensor and are able to monitor heart rate and send high heart rate notifications, low heart rate no- tifications, and irregular rhythm notifications. In addition, Ap- ple Watch, Series 3 (2017) has a built in altimeter that measures how many flights of steps were climbed and kept track of those results in a very comprehensive activity app. (For a complete re- view of the Health and Safety features of Series 3 and earlier for Special Needs, see DISKoveries in the October/November 2018 issue of Closing the Gap Solutions). Apple Watch Series 4 (the latest and current watch) launched in October 2018 with even more of these health and safety features, as a result of both the

Fall Detection

Fall Detection Apple groups falls into a three-part classification that includes Falls, Trips and Slips. Because of the more advanced accelerom-

Joan Tanenhaus, Joan Tanenhaus, M.A., CCC, Speech-Language Pathologist/ Assistive Technology Specialist, is Founder and Executive Director of Technology for Language and Learning, Inc., a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing the use of computers and technology with children and adults with Special Needs. (e-mail: ForTLL@aol.com)

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Closing The Gap

eter and the newly introduced gyroscope, the Series 4 watch is now able to detect these hard falls and be able to distinguish between them and the many other different body/arm move- ments such as clapping, banging on a drum, using a hammer, etc. that the user presents. The result is a watch and app that work together to detect hard falls. When a hard fall happens to a user who is wearing the Apple Watch 4, the watch will wait a full minute. If it does not detect any movement in that minute, it will offer the wearer multi-sen- sory stimulation and the opportunity to respond. With haptic feedback, it taps the user’s wrist, emits an auditory alarm and vi- sually displays a message that says: “Looks like you have taken a hard fall.”The auditory alert is loud enough for someone nearby to hear it. There is then a 15 second opportunity to click a box that says: “I fell, but I’m okay.” or to dismiss the alert by pressing the Digital Crown. If there is no response to that message in the given time, the watch will then call 911 and send text messages to family and others previously designated by the user as emer- gency contacts. (If Location Services is off, it will temporarily turn it on.) This message will notify the recipients that the user has fallen, give their current location and if location changes, will send an update about 20 minutes later. (All falls, whether or not reported to 911, are automatically recorded in the Health app, which keeps an ongoing record of falls for future reference.)

home, muscle weakness, postural hypotension (blood pressure that drops too much when rising from a sitting or reclining po- sition) and problems with gait and balance. Poor balance can also be a side effect of some common medications, including anti-seizure drugs, hypertensive (high blood pressure) drugs, antihistamines, antidepressants, anti-anxiety drugs and many others. For a comprehensive article on preventing falls by Jane Brody, well-known Personal Health Consultant and NY Times columnist, see: https://www.nytimes.com/2019/02/25/well/live/ falls-can-kill-you-heres-how-to-minimize-the-risk.html The Emergency SOS option used by Fall Detection can also be used manually. (This feature has been available in previous ver- sions of the Apple Watch.) Users press and hold the side button on the watch and the Emergency SOS slider appears. The watch calls emergency services (911) and also sends your emergen- cy contacts a text with your current location and for a period of time after, it updates when your location changes. Also in an emergency, Apple Watch users can just say “Hey Siri, Call (say name or 911) and Siri will place a call, hands free. User can then speak directly to 911 or family for help.

ECG/EKG Capabilities

ECG Results

An electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), usually conducted in a hospital, clinic or a doctor’s office, records the electrical signals of the heart in order to identify or monitor heart difficulties. The usual ECG/EKG is called a 12 lead test, because it gets its infor- mation from 12 different sensors on 12 different locations. The result is a graph that reveals a pattern of activity. These elec- trocardiograms can only record an abnormal heart rhythm if it occurs during the actual test. According to Apple, the Apple Watch Series 4 is the “first direct-to-consumer products that en- ables customers to take an electrocardiogram right from their wrist, capturing heart rhythm in a moment when they experi- ence symptoms like a rapid or skipped heart beat and helping to provide critical data to physicians”. Another feature of the watch (Series 1 or later) is that it also checks heart rhythms in

Video demonstrating Fall Detection in more detail https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7xI2dUPN3A

For Fall Detection to work in this way, the user must have set it up previously. The directions for setting up Fall Detection can be found at https://www.imore.com/how-set-and-use-fall-de- tection-apple-watch-series-4. For emergency calling to work, you must have either the cellular model of the Apple Watch or be near your paired iPhone or Wi-Fi service. Fall Detection is an outstanding option for those with Spe- cial Needs and for those older users who are at a greater risk for falling. Major causes of falls also include safety hazards in the

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Other Changes and Improvements

the background, and if it detects an irregular heart pattern on five rhythm checks over a minimum of 65 minutes, it will send a notification to the user. Both features have FDA approval.

Size and Resolution

Size: The 40mm Apple Series 4 watch has a 40mm case and 759 sq. mm display area. Series 4 is 10.7 mm thin. This compares to the older 38mm Apple Series 3 watch which is a 38mm case, a 563 sq. mm display area, and is 11.4 mm thin. The 44mm Apple Series 4 watch now has a 44mm case and 977 sq. mm display area. Series 4 is 10.7 mm thin. This compares to the older 42mm Apple Series 3 which is a 42 mm case, a 740 sq. mm display area, and is 11.4 mm thin. Screen Resolution: The 40 mm Apple Series 4 watch has a screen resolution of 324 x 394 pixels. The older 38mm Apple Se- ries 3 has a screen resolution of 272 x 340 pixels. The 44 mm Ap- ple Series 4 watch has a screen resolution of 368 x 448 pixels. The older 42 mm watch has a screen resolution of 312 x 390 pixels. The graphic below clearly shows the impact of the addi- tional display area on the Series 4 watch, which is accom- plished by both the increased size of the watch and the decreased bezel size and rounding of the corners. Display quality is further improved by the improved screen resolution.

ECG Detail

The Apple Watch Series 4 has sensors on the back and on the Digital Crown that work together with watchOS 5.1.2 to take an ECG similar to a single-lead graph. Apple describes the process: “To take an ECG recording at any time or following an irregu- lar rhythm notification, users launch the new ECG app on Apple Watch Series 4 and hold their finger on the Digital Crown. As the user touches the Digital Crown, the circuit is completed and electrical signals across their heart are measured. After 30 sec- onds, the heart rhythm is classified as either AFib, sinus rhythm or inconclusive. All recordings, their associated classifications and any noted symptoms are stored securely in the Health app on iPhone. Users can share a PDF of the results with physicians”. This new technology, for the first time, gives people the oppor- tunity to capture important information about their heart, as it is happening. For more information on the ECG app and how to set it up: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208955 For more information on the irregular rhythm notification: https://support.apple.com/en-us/HT208931 For more information for medical professionals and providers https://www.apple.com/healthcare/apple-watch/

Apple Watch Series 3 & Series 4 Display Comparison

Speed & Performance: The Apple Watch Series 4 has a 64-bit dual-core S4 processor, which Apple says in two times faster than the Dual-Core S3 processor in the Apple Watch Series 3. It is responsible for the apps ability to launch and perform faster.

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Digital Crown: In Series 4, the newly designed Digital Crown provides haptic feedback when you use it to scroll up or down a list. You can feel it click from one item to the next. Connectivity: Apple reports that the new W3 wireless chip in Series 4 replaces the W2 wireless chip in Series 3 and together with the new design of the Series 4 antennae, there is improved quality in both incoming and outgoing phone calls. Sound: Series 4 has a new speaker which is much louder than Series 3. In addition, the microphone is now on the opposite side of the watch in order to reduce echoes on phone calls. Accessibility: The Apple Watch and watchOS 5.2, of course, continue to have all the Accessibility features of previous watch- es. For detailed information about Zoom, Bold Text, Brightness & Text Size, VoiceOver, Mono Audio, Options for Listening, and much more, see DISKoveries in the October/November 2018 issue of Closing the Gap Solutions)

APPS AND ACCESSORIES

GoTalk WOW (Attainment Company: www.attainmentcompany.com)y

GoTalk WOW (Attainment Company: www.attainmentcompany.com)

This AAC app, created specifically for the Apple Watch, can be used with any Apple Watch with iOS 4.3 and up. It comes with 15 pre-set messages, and can easily be programmed with your own messages, using text-to-speech or recorded audio, and us- ing your own pictures, emojiis or pictures from the built-in li- brary. Unlimited messages can be backed up, automatically or manually. Settings allow you to set the Volume to a comfortable level, adjust Scroll Resistance (the amount the Digital Crown needs to be turned to advance through your message), turn on Scroll Debounce (prevents scrolling to another message for up to 5 seconds), turn on Tap Debounce (prevents activating an addi- tional message for up to 5 seconds), adjust Text to Speech Rate,

Apple Watch Accessibility

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Logitech POWERED FOR iphone (www.logitech.com) Logitech Powered for iPhone Wireless Charger (Logi- tech: https://www.logitech.com/en-us/product/powered-ip- hone-wireless-charging?crid=1537) For the iPhone 8 and higher, this wireless charger allows the phone to be charged and used at the same time. The phone can be charged in either landscape or portrait position, with it resting in a good angle for watching, writing or using apps. The U-shaped cradle makes it easy to place the phone correctly each time- just drop inside the cradle. If you have Face Recognition capabilities, you can unlock and access with a glance. A rubberized surfaces eliminates the risk of phone falling during alert vibrations. There is an indicator light which goes off when charging is complete.

GoTalk Wow Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4HgNo92ds9A

and turn on Vertical Swipe (use finger instead of Digital Crown to swipe up and down through messages), While wearing the watch, you can access GoTalk Wow from Settings or you can customize the Extra-Large Watch Face to show the time and a GoTalk Wow icon which can then be tapped to open the app. For noisy setting, you can increase the volume by pairing the Watch to a Bluetooth speaker. Excellent Techni- cal Support, via phone and email, is available from Attainment weekdays from 9 am-5 pm (CST). A quick, easy and motivating way to communicate!

Logitech Powered for iPhone: (www.logitech.com)

Logitech Powered Wireless Charging Stand Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QZycLcGmq2w

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PlugBug Duo (Twelve South: www.twelvesouth.com) Apple Watch users have to charge not only the watch but the iPhone, and often a MacBook too. PlugBug Duo is the perfect accessory- you can charge three devices from just one outlet. In addition, it includes 5 international adapters so, if you travel, you can use in over 150 countries. PlugBug Duo is a 2.1A (12W) charger. If only one device is being charged via USB, you use the top port for the fastest charge. If two devices are being charged simultaneously, the power will be equally split between the two USB ports. PlugBugWorld, with a single USB connection and 5 international adapters, is also available. These new features, hardware capabilities and software up- dates of the Apple Watch Series 4 combine to produce an out- standing and unique device that has the potential to enhance the lives of individuals with Special Needs. For further infor- mation and insight into its power and potential, talk with your physician, visit the Apple website (www.apple.com) or visit your local Apple store.

PlugBugDuo (Twelve South: www.twelvesouth.com)

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