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Comment by bonestamp2 | Hacker News Reader

> Tons of run of the mill accidents leave people unconscious...

Indeed. My friend's grandma slipped while getting in the bathtub. They found her barely alive 3 days later when she missed her hair appointment and the stylist called her son. Previously, she was the life of the party and went to the gym almost every day. She didn't last a few days after that fall broke her hip. The outcome may have been different if she got help right away and if nothing else, she wouldn't have suffered for a few days. She was in such good physical health that nobody expected something like this to happen.

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...the problem here seems more that nobody missed her for three days. So loneliness is the key issue here and an Apple watch will not fix that.

That said, having an Apple watch is certainly much cooler than wearing those emergency call devices they currently sell for old people.

>..the problem here seems more that nobody missed her for three days. So loneliness is the key issue here and an Apple watch will not fix that.

That's a problem, but I don't think that's the main takeaway from this story.

You could have a loving family and friends and still not be "missed for 3 days". 3 days are not big enough span of time for adults, in the grand scheme of things. E.g. if your wife is on vacation, or you/she work in another city, or have some deal going on, and you talk 1-2 times a week, it's easy for 2-3 days to slip by without anybody noticing you. Friends too might come by once a week or 1-2 times a month, and easily miss you for 3 days (that would already be more often than many people with close friends see them).

Heck, and even 1 day or even 2-3 hours would be enough for serious damage, if you weren't discovered after a fall/accident.

Dear god, man. The woman was "the life of the party" and went to the gym every day, and she DIED a few days after this fall. And your argument is the problem is that she was lonely and a consumer tech device won't fill the hole in her life?

This is the coldest of cold takes.

?? I really don't understand what upset you so much about my comment.

A person falls, and nobody misses her or looks after her for three days. How is this not a problem of our current society?

> How is this not a problem of our current society?

You're not wrong, but it's also not unusual. Most people I know do not talk to their mom more than once every 3 days.

There are many people who are very dear to me, that I talk to once or twice a week. My parents for example. I live alone, hundreds of miles away.

If I died today, the only place that could figure it in a day or so out would be my workplace. If I didn't work, then it could be a week before my parents or friends began to suspect something.

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