My Grandma Wears a Fitbit Charge HR

Last August 2015, I gave my grandma a Fitbit Charge HR. Most people like me use a Fitbit to monitor steps and log exercises for an accurate calorie count. In my grandma's case, her Fitbit's primary use is to monitor her heart rate.

Note 4 Heart Rate Monitor

My grandma is 84 years old and has an irregular heart rate or Arrhythmia. Her cardiologist gave me instructions on when to give her medications. If her heart rate is too high, give the full Lanoxin (Digoxin) pill and if it's low, cut the pill in half.

For years, I've been relying on her Hartmann Tensoval digital blood pressure monitor and my Samsung Galaxy Note 4 to measure her heart rate since she doesn't want to get a pacemaker. The problem with this is I won't know if her heart rate was normal the entire day. We had to check it every now and then to make sure I am giving her the right dosage of medicine.

Last year, I was very active in attending Kinesis and CrossFit classes at CrossFit Halcyon. Unlike everyone, I wanted to get fat. I've been counting my calories via MyFitnessPal and logging exercises on the app as well. I wasn't getting fat (yeah. jepoy problems) so I started to do research on fitness, including these wearables. It seems that heart rate is essential too in calculating the calorie burn in every exercise.

My Grandma and her cardiologist

The Fitbit Charge HR caught my attention because of the built-in heart rate monitor and the claim that it will continuously monitor your heart rate every 5 or 10 seconds. Other wearables will only monitor the heart rate once you tell it to. If this thing can monitor heart rates the entire day, then maybe this can monitor my grandma's heart rate as well.[post_ad]

(Weekly Summary - Resting Heart Rate)

I installed the Fitbit app on my grandma's iPad and in just a few days, I can now have a general idea on her resting heart rate.

Resting heart rate is the heart pumping the lowest amount of blood you need because you're not exercising. If you're sitting or lying and you're calm, relaxed and aren't ill, your heart rate is normally between 60 (beats per minute) and 100 (beats per minute).

A heart rate lower than 60 doesn’t necessarily signal a medical problem. It could be the result of taking a drug such as a beta blocker. A lower heart rate is also common for people who get a lot of physical activity or are very athletic. Active people often have lower heart rates because their heart muscle is in better condition and doesn’t need to work as hard to maintain a steady beat.

(Per Day Summary - Heart Rate)

The Fitbit app also has a log of my grandma's heart rate. This was very useful when she had her checkup. I showed the Fitbit app to my grandma's cardiologist and she was amazed on the amount of data it collected.

The added feature I liked about the Fitbit is that it monitors my Grandma's sleep pattern. It accurately shows what time she fell asleep and what time she woke up.

The only thing I didn't like about the Fitbit is that the bracelet cannot be replaced. My grandma's Fitbit will be a year old next month and the band is already showing wear and tear.

I know this is not a medical device but I cannot deny the fact that it provided essential data for me and my grandma's doctor. We got a general idea about her resting heart rate and sleeping patterns. Since my grandma doesn't want to get a pacemaker, the Fitbit Charge HR eases the medicine dosage guessing game.

I am thankful that a device that was originally intended for a younger market can greatly improve the life of older people and the people around them. Without the Fitbit Charge HR, I would still be getting my grandma's heart rate manually and not her general resting heart rate. This improvement has lead to the assurance that my grandma is healthy and given the proper dosage of medicine at any given time.