This is why I bought 4 Withings ScanWatches for my parents and in-laws

A little over a year ago, my mom’s youngest cousin passed away from a heart attack at the age of 55. He was feeling a little discomfort for a few days, but he brushed it away for a dozen reasons that are too complex to get into here. As I sat with my parents and we processed the news and their grief, I happened to mention that modern smartwatches could have alerted him that something was really off and that he shouldn’t have dismissed his feelings as a temporary discomfort.

That started a conversation between us about smartwatches, health monitoring and its limits, what modern tech could help with, and whether or not my family would be OK wearing a smart device all the time. They were up for it. Since then, I’ve been mulling over the idea, trying to think of the perfect setup for them.