“I live alone, and I’ve wondered who’d know if I fell.”
This book shows you how a watch, a pendant, or the phone you already own can call for help and share your location, even when you can’t reach it.
Book 1 · The Stay Safe Series · Available now
Stay Safe in Any Emergency
Emergency Readiness for a Lifetime of Independence
A plain-English guide to the technology that keeps you reachable: smartphones, smartwatches, smart rings, and medical alert devices, explained without the jargon. It also gives you the emergency numbers for wherever you or your family are. The aim is simple. Whatever happens, you can call for help, and someone will know.
From $9.99 · eBook, audiobook, paperback, or all three
- Every fact checked against a named source
- Fact References chapter included
- Companion checklist with every format
If you need help right now, call 911 in the US or your local emergency number.
Is this book for you?
It probably is if one of these sounds familiar.
“I’ve looked at medical alerts and the choices are confusing.”
You’ll see how each kind of device works, what it costs, what it can’t do, and how to choose one that fits your life.
“I’m choosing for Mum or Dad and I want to get it right.”
The book is written for the person who’ll wear the device, so it works best read together. There’s a gentle way to raise it further down this page.
Why I wrote this
Ten feet from his phone
My friend Phil fell at home. His phone was ten feet away, and he couldn’t reach it. He wasn’t found for six hours, and he never walked again.
The devices that could have called for help that day exist right now. Most of them fit on a wrist or in a pocket. This book explains them plainly: what a fall-detection watch does, how a medical alert works, which apps are worth setting up, and how to make sure they’re switched on before the day you need them.
It isn’t about being watched, and it isn’t about giving anything up. It’s about being reachable, on your own terms, wherever you are.
— Ed
What’s inside
Every kind of “staying reachable,” explained simply. Each topic ends with a short checklist so you can act on it.
Smartphones and smartwatches
Fall and crash detection, SOS shortcuts, and location sharing, and how to set them up so they work when it counts.
Smart rings and tablets
Quiet, comfortable options for people who don’t want to wear a watch, plus tablets for staying in touch with family and calling for help.
Wearable health monitors
Glucose monitors, heart-rhythm sensors, and seizure alerts: what they do, and where their limits are.
Accessibility features you already own
Screen readers, voice control, hearing-aid pairing, and magnification, built into the phone in your pocket.
Emergency SOS apps
The apps worth loading and setting up before you ever need them, in plain language.
Emergency numbers, everywhere
A reference of emergency, poison, and crisis numbers for the US, with a companion booklet for other countries, so travel doesn’t catch you out.
Where this book names a product or app, it’s an example of a feature, not a recommendation. We don’t sell devices or take payment to feature them.
One honest note
These devices help you know when to ask. They don’t replace your doctor.
Every device in this book is covered with one rule in mind: none of it is a diagnosis. What these tools are good at is helping you notice, sooner and with better information, when it’s time to seek medical advice. The book makes that line clear, device by device, so you know what you’re getting and what you’re not.
What you’ll walk away with
You’ll have
- A clear picture of which alert setup fits your life, and what it costs
- Your phone set up so it can call for help and share your location
- A simple plan so the people who’d need to know, will know
Why it matters
- When something goes wrong, help can be a button-press or a missed check-in away
- Less worry, for you and for the people who love you
- Independence that doesn’t have to mean being out of reach
Free with this book: 9 printable companions
Interactive checklists, guides and planners to fill in on screen, save and print. Each comes in a standard and a dyslexia-friendly edition, with every format of the book. The link to your download page arrives with your purchase.
- Stay Safe in Any Emergency Book Checklists. The book’s checklists, to fill in on screen, save and print.
- Family Emergency Contact Tree. Every emergency contact in one place, ready to print and share with the family.
- Fall Prevention Checklist. Simple changes that lower the risk of a fall.
- Fall-Risk Self-Check. A quick check of the most common fall risks, at home and in your daily routine.
- ICE Wallet Card. An “in case of emergency” card to fill in, print and carry.
- First Aid Guide. Plain-English first steps for common emergencies at home.
- Emergency Kit Checklist. What to gather before an emergency, and what to do when one comes.
- Global Emergency Numbers. The number to call in an emergency, country by country, for when you travel.
- Medications Planner & Tracker (spreadsheet). A weekly spreadsheet to plan your medicines and tick off each dose, for Excel or another spreadsheet app.
Choose your format
Same book, same companion checklist, whichever way you like to read.
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eBook
$9.99
EPUB, PDF, and Kindle. Download right away and make the text as large as you like.
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Multi-Media Pack
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eBook, audiobook, and paperback together.
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What readers are saying
My Apple Watch saved my life when I fell and couldn’t get up. It called my daughter and sent my location — it’s like having a guardian angel on my wrist.
Quotes are readers’ own words, shared with their permission. Product names are theirs, not our recommendation. Experiences vary.
Every fact, checked and sourced
Every statistic and every “this works” statement in this book is checked against a credible, named source: government health and safety agencies, peer-reviewed research, and recognized aging organizations. The book ends with a Fact References chapter that lists the full citation for every figure. You don’t have to take our word for it. You can look it up. If we get something wrong, we fix it and say so.
Selected citations from this book
- World Health Organization (2021). Falls fact sheet. who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/falls
- US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Facts About Falls. cdc.gov/falls/data-research/facts-stats
- Moreland B, Lee R, Bergen G, et al. (2023). Hip Fracture-related Emergency Department Visits, Hospitalizations and Deaths Among Adults Aged 65 and Older. Journal of Aging and Health.
The book’s Fact References chapter lists every source in full.
Questions people ask
Do I need a smartphone to use this book?
No. The book covers medical alert pendants and base units that work without a smartphone, as well as watches, rings, and phones. If you do have a phone, it shows you the free safety settings already built in.
Does the book recommend one device?
No. It explains how each type works and what to look for, so you can choose what suits your life and budget. Where a product is named, it’s an example, not an endorsement.
Are the emergency numbers for the US only?
The main reference covers the US. A companion booklet covers other countries, so you’re set when you travel or when family lives overseas.
Can I make the text bigger?
Yes. The eBook lets you set any text size you like. The audiobook needs no reading at all.
Is this book for the person wearing the device, or for family?
Both. It’s written for the person who’ll use the device, in plain language, and it includes gentle ways to talk about it as a family.
What if I buy it and it’s not right for me?
Our Refund Policy sets out how we handle that. Read the Refund Policy, or contact us and we’ll help.
This book shares general safety information. It isn’t medical, legal, or financial advice. For advice about your own situation, talk with a qualified professional.
Helping a parent choose?
Choosing an alert device for someone else can be a delicate conversation. This book is written for the person who’ll wear it, so it works best read together, or handed over without a lecture. A good first step is our free one-page Fall-Risk Checklist: sit down with a cup of tea and go through it side by side. It turns “I’m worried about you” into “let’s look at this together.”
Next in the series
Book 1 helps you get help fast when something goes wrong. Book 2 helps you lower the chance it happens at all, room by room.
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Stay Safe at Home
A room-by-room guide to common hazards around the home, with practical fixes.
Go to Book 2