Would you support an app that could save a live?
I'd like to share my story with The Drum that lead my to the current project that I'm working on crowd-funding at present that is Smart Alert - an emergency-response app.
Smart Alert
We're developing the software that allows the technology in a smartphone to function as a panic button or personal alarm. It will serve purpose to anybody who could be liable to an emergency that may not be with someone at the time or able to contact someone for help.
The launch version of the app will have two key features:
Panic Button - at the touch of a button, you can send a pre-written SMS to a family member, friend or carer.
Check-up - you set a check-up time, which could be 3 hours for example. If the phone hasn't sensed in movement in that time, the app will send you a push notification to check up on you. If you fail to dismiss this notification after a minute, an SMS will automatically be sent to your emergency contact.
The technology in our phones is greater, in some respects, to that of the some of some personal alarm systems. These can cost in excess of £1000 taking into account installation and ongoing fees. This is not a justifiable impulse-buy for a seemingly healthy human-being and is often out of reach of those in need.
Ownership of smartphones has increased dramatically amongst 45+ groups to 34% and 18% for 55+ groups. This is nearly double what it was two years ago.
In theory, people could be suffering life-threatening circumstances who are already in possession of the hardware that can save them… I find that an extremely sad estimation.
Losing a family member to a stroke put this medical emergency close to my heart. My nan became incapacitated, and due to human-error when someone tried to check on her, she spent over 12 long hours in an arm-chair whilst she should have been receiving medical attention. The permanent neurological damage was too severe and she died three days later.
There are a huge range of personal alarm systems available, but if you hadn’t experienced any warning signs in the past, you’d probably find it difficult to justify the huge cost.
I'm thrilled to have funded 23% of my target in just a matter of days. If you believe that an app like this should be existence, please share this page with your friends, family, colleague or any one that you think would be interested and if you can, please contribute too.
Check out my Indiegogo page here.
Thank you.