No actual technical solution here, but it smells slightly of XY-Problems.

From what you described it seems the main issues are

• too many calls
• not knowing who's calling
• not wanting to answer the phone
• not reaching the phone in time

Maybe you could look into solutions like setting a custom ringtone for important callers or having the phone announce caller names so your mother can decide if she wants to make the effort to get her phone.

I'm speculating a bit here but I can imagine that getting up and answering the phone is exhausting for your mother. Also if her mindset is " a ringing phone means it's important" that could make it even more stressful.

Maybe you could find a way to let her silence all calls except caregivers and ICE contacts. (On Android DND exceptions could work for that)

That way she doesn't feel pressured to answer the phone every time it rings and stays reachable.

If it's actually just the physical issue of reaching the phone in time, does she have a convenient way to carry the phone indoors like a lanyard?

Hope some of this helps you

https://pine64.com/product/pinetime-smartwatch-sealed/

The PineTime will get you quite a bit of your list, while you save up for something else:

• affordable ~$30
• battery life: I charge it about every 4 days, out of habit, but it seems like it should go for over a week as it has half battery left when I recharge
• notifications, media controls
• no vendor lock in
• ability to turn stuff off, it's fully open source, no vendor is forcing features

You can change how long a phone rings for. Talk to her telco for both landline and mobile.

In my experience, if someone doesn't want to answer the phone, strapping it to their arm is unlikely to make any difference and in my experience they're more likely than not to leave it on the charger.

Long battery life and tiny battery are on opposite ends of physics. Pick your poison.

Health monitoring is unlikely to be transmitted to emergency services, except iOS fall detection.

iOS and Android are both tracking as much as they can get away with.

Remote management is likely only with devices used in corporate settings.

So your requirement with cellular calling (eSIM) is already fairly restrictive and depends on which market we're talking about. Where I live (.se) you get to choose between Apple and Samsung and since Apple was out of the question, you're stuck with Samsung.

Not entirely sure if your second requirement with long battery life can be fulfilled. You'll be charging the watch every day, probably more often if you take calls on it.

There's some rumors that Garmin Forerunner/epix will get eSIM support, but that will be also carrier dependent.

These wearables are pretty complicated high end devices, I wouldn't really give them to elderly parents who stuggle using a normal mobile.

I think it might be better to look into other tyoe of devices like pager systems from caregivers, if you're worried about health issues.

If you ever sweat, like ever, smart watches may not be for you. I've had 3, different brands (all Android Wear OS), and my sweat eventually tarnished the charging contacts to the point of no use (even after being cleaned with alcohol and something abrasive) all three times.

So, if you sweat, you're gonna wanna make sure the charging contacts don't touch your skin. Ever.

Look into Bangle.js, it's what I have, it fits some, not all of your requirements.

It's open source, both the hardware and the software so no lock ins whatsoever.

They advertise a 2 week battery, mine lasts closer to a month between charges.

You have to install any features you want (every feature is opt in, not opt out).

There's no speaker, microphone, or keyboard though, so no calling or texting straight from the watch. It's currently £77 before shipping.

I wonder why nobody makes a phone specialized for elderly people these days. Those smart gadgets are absolutely horrible for elderlies. They can't do literally nothing because the UI is too complex for them.

Something simple like a speaker + mic with a set of big buttons together with stickers of who to call is everything they need. No Whatsapp, also probably no email. Then add a forced call mode that only carers and families can activate.

Are you sure your mother will charge her watch everyday though

Not sure if that is an option for you too, but I have a scanwatch light myself. It is a hybrid smartwatch, being a classic analog watch with a small black and white display in the background.

The scanwatch products are health focused, allowing the user to track a variety of health stats like heartrate, activities and sleep analysis. It is very energy efficient, requring a a recharge about once a month in my case.

It is noteworthy that the hybrid concept makes some cuts to the smartness of the watch, for example replying to messages from the watch is not possible, only reading them as they come in. It doesn't have touch functionality either, instead you control it with the bezel.

You can configure in the smartphone app which apps are allowed to relay notifications to the watch, giving you the option to filter out most noise that is not relevant to your mom. You can also set up activity plans to track and/or remind her to engage in some moderate activities like taking a walk.

Do note though that the watch asks for a subscription for some premium functions, like workout plans and more in depth health analysis. I don't have that myself either though, being able to generally monitor my activities is enough for me. The watch also relies on the paired smartphone for its gps functionality, without the phone it would essentially be reduced to a classic wristwatch.