Our Story

Our name derives from Cherokee: “Unalii” meaning “friend”, and “Kanega” meaning “speak” – so we are the “friend that speaks to you.”
Jean Anne Booth thought she was sailing into the sunset. She’d spent 30 years working in semiconductors and had sold businesses to Apple and Texas Instruments. But while working for a scuba diving outfit off the coast of Florida, an idea burrowed into her head and wouldn’t leave. In the end, it was her own mother who pulled her back to shore and into business.
Booth observed her elderly mother, and saw the vulnerability that old age can bring. She noted that traditional medical alert systems are both ugly and socially stigmatizing, so many people avoid getting much-needed medical alert systems. As a result, many don’t receive the care they need at critical moments.
Faced with this challenge, Booth set out on a mission to create a smartwatch that can give vulnerable populations greater independence. Her company, UnaliWear, has created the Kanega Watch, the only watch with built-in Fall Detection that connects to emergency response agents 24/7/365. Until her mother passed away in late 2018, Booth continued to run every prototype by her mother to make sure her tech made sense in the real world (her mother had the title of “Senior Experience Officer” – both literally and figuratively). That’s why the Kanega Watch is waterproof, voice, button and fall detection activated, and it never needs to be removed to charge (among other key features) – providing real round-the-clock peace of mind for wearers and those that care for them. Booth’s mother loved her Kanega Watch and the stylish, discreet protection it provided her and the growing community of wearers throughout the country.
Our mission is to extend independence with dignity for millions of vulnerable people.

Watch: Kanega Watch Intro Video

The Kanega Watch Offers Unmatched 24/7 Peace of Mind

  • The only medical alert watch you can wear round-the-clock.
    • Patented “quick-swap” rechargeable battery system ensures you never have to remove your Kanega Watch to charge.
  • Connects to a live agent 3-ways: Fall Detection, Button Push, and Voice Activation—providing the most ways for you to get help when you need it.
  • RealFall™ Fall Detection (included at no extra cost) – identifies and activates on actual falls while greatly limiting false alarms.
  • Simple at every stage:
    • Works out of the box—all set up is done prior to shipping.
    • Works independently – no need to pair with a cell phone, base station, pendant or any other device.
    • Goes where you go, inside (including the shower) and outside the home with GPS.
    • Automatically switches from WiFi (home) to cellular (outside), for reliable connectivity everywhere.
      • Your Kanega Watch comes included with nationwide Verizon cellular coverage at no additional cost.
    • Everything is included in our plans—all equipment, services, taxes and shipping
  • Top rated by major review sites (NYTimes/Wirecutter, National Council on Aging, Caring.com, etc.): “Best Medical Alert Watch/Device” and “Best Fall Detection”

Extending Independence With Dignity

What People are Saying

Meet the Team

UnaliWear team photo
UnaliWear team photo

Meet the Management Team

CEO JeanAnne Booth

Jean Anne Booth

CEO & Founder
A serial entrepreneur, Jean Anne started UnaliWear after selling previous startups to Texas Instruments and Apple.
Jean Anne was the founder of Luminary Micro, the creators of the Stellaris microcontroller platform and the first to market with ARM Cortex-M3-based microcontroller solutions. Luminary Micro was purchased by Texas Instruments in May 2009, and was one of the top VC-backed M&As of 2009. Jean Anne retired from TI in 2012 after serving as the general manager for TI’s Stellaris family of products.
Jean Anne was also a founder at Intrinsity, the creators of the graphics chip in Apple iPad products. Intrinsity sold to Apple in 2010.
Jean Anne holds a BSEE from the University of Texas at Austin, and an MSCE from National Technical University.
Richard Hirsch

Richard Hirsch

Chief Marketing Officer
Rich has 30 years’ experience in marketing, business development and strategy, primarily in the health and healthcare industries.
Most recently, Rich was CMO of Connect America, the nation’s largest medical alert provider. In addition, Rich has been part of three management teams that have brought start-ups to major financial transactions (Atkins Nutritionals, Health Club Media Network and Earndit).
Rich holds an MBA in Marketing and Organizational Behavior from Northwestern’s Kellogg School of Management.

Brian Kircher

Co-founder & SMTS
Brian Kircher has over 25 years of experience creating comprehensive software platforms and providing technical leadership to software teams.
As an early member of Luminary Micro, Brian was the driving force behind the creation of the StellarisWare software suite and was a key member of the architecture team that defined the Stellaris microcontroller platform. After Texas Instruments acquired Luminary Micro in 2009, Brian shared with TI’s microcontroller and microprocessor teams the StellarisWare philosophy of enabling customer success through easy-to-use software. Earlier in his career, Brian worked at Cirrus Logic and IBM.
Brian holds a BS in mathematics and computer science from Carnegie Mellon University.
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The Kanega Watch

Meet the
Kanega Watch

The first all-in-one, voice-controlled device designed to keep you connected, independent, active, and safe.
30-Day Money Back Guarantee and No Contract

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Order with confidence with our 30-day money-back guarantees — no contract required.

30-day Money-Back Guarantee
If equipment is returned undamaged and fully functioning within the 30-day trial period (from date of shipment to date of return), UnaliWear will provide a free return-shipping label and refund your entire purchase, minus a $75 restocking fee.

AARP and Military Veterans get one month FREE!

All AARP members and Military Veterans receive a FREE month added onto the end of the first year of service (offers cannot be combined). Use coupon code AARP or Veteran during checkout (right before you enter your credit card information) or mention it when ordering over the phone (888-343-1513).

Changing batteries on your Kanega watch band

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Pre-Shipment Form & Configuration

Once your purchase and payment are complete, we will ask you to provide important information about the person who will be wearing this Kanega watch and protected by our monitoring and emergency response services, including:
  • Wearer name and contact information
  • Wearer band/wrist size
  • Service address and access instructions
  • WiFi settings
  • Emergency contacts
  • Medication reminder times (optional)
Our Care & Safety Experts will use this information to pre-program and personalize your watch so that it arrives ready-to-use straight out of the box – for no additional fee.

Your Kanega watch and equipment arrives fully—configured and ready-to-use straight out of the box — no programming required.

Our dedicated Care & Safety Experts ensure your Kanega watch arrives pre-programmed and personalized with you or your loved ones:
  • Emergency contacts
  • Notification settings
  • WiFi settings
  • Optional medication reminders
  • And more
After your purchase, we will ask you to provide important information about the wearer through a simple pre-shipment online form. Then our Care & Safety Experts will take care of the rest. They will also call once your Kanega watch is delivered to answer any questions you have about your watch, accessories, subscription or services — and will remain available to ensure your watch is working properly as long as you stay subscribed.

UnaliWear’s patented RealFall™ technology is based on actual fall data from Kanega Watch wearers and gets smarter about each wearer’s personal movements over time— continuously improving fall detection accuracy and limiting/eliminating false alerts. No other medical alert system offers this real fall/related movement learning and continuous improvement technology. Click here to learn more.