And it's not new either. I remember these TV ads[0] from when I was a teenager (1980s) and my peer group and I found them quite amusing.
These days, the same folks take a more threatening tack[1] (a sign of the times, perhaps?), which I find pretty galling.
[0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I've_fallen,_and_I_can't_get_u...!
Not to mention the "Lullabuy of old Broadway."[1]
And that does not even touch the corporate world. How does a company protect against disclosure of things that are otherwise a corporate secret ( especially in today's increasingly WFH world )?
My work is all open source, so no problems there :-)
The apple watch has fall detection, it will automatically call emergency services if it detects a fall and you don't cancel the SOS.
Of course, either way, it's only really helpful if you're able to speak.
Having the phone in your pocket works if you can move. Having the smart speaker works if you can speak. If you can do neither, hope somebody finds you soon.
But that last point is important, I always tell people before I'm about to do something dangerous: "if you hear a noise, please come and check on me."
I've also considered one for my shop, so if I get pinned under the car or something I can yell for 911. But I'd only turn it on if I was about to do something dangerous. I might also get one if I decide I'm at risk for "I've fallen and I can't get up". (That happened to a relative, it took her 2 days to inch across the floor to get to the phone.)