How to Choose a Medical Alert System

Five questions decide almost every one of these, and none of them are technical. Here they are, plus the things worth checking before you buy from anyone, us included.

The five questions

1. At home, or out and about too?

This one decides more than any other. If the person rarely leaves the house, an at-home system is cheaper and the button lasts years on one battery. If they still drive, walk, garden or take the bus, they need a mobile system with GPS, because a home base station only reaches 600 to 1,000 feet.

Be honest about the answer. People often buy at-home to save money and then stop wearing it because it does not work at the store.

2. Does it need fall detection?

Fall detection calls for help on its own when the wearer cannot press the button. It matters most for someone who has already fallen, has fainting spells, takes blood thinners, or lives alone with nobody checking in daily.

Be careful with any company that implies fall detection is certain. No fall-detection technology detects every fall. A slow slide out of a chair often does not register. It is a valuable backup, not a replacement for pressing the button, and anyone who tells you otherwise is selling rather than explaining.

3. Is there a working landline?

If there is a landline, an at-home system can use it and it is usually the cheapest option. If the landline is gone, or the household has switched to internet phone service, you need a cellular at-home system instead. This trips people up constantly, because the cheapest advertised price is almost always the landline one.

4. Pendant, wristband, or something that looks like a watch?

The best system is the one that actually gets worn. Some people will not wear anything around their neck. Some cannot manage a wrist clasp with arthritic hands. Ask, rather than deciding for them, because an unworn button protects nobody.

5. Does family want to be able to check in?

If an adult child two states away wants to see that Mum got up this morning, that needs a system with a caregiver app. Not every device has one. If it matters to you, ask specifically which device supports it, because it is often only one model in a company’s range.

What to check before you buy, from anyone

These are the questions that separate providers. Ask them of us and of whoever else you are considering.

  • Where is the monitoring center, and who runs it? Ask whether it is in the United States and whether the company owns it or subcontracts. You are buying the people who answer, not the plastic.
  • Is there a contract or minimum term? Some providers advertise month to month and then have a three-month initial term buried in the agreement. Ask to see the agreement before you pay.
  • Can the price go up? Ask whether the rate is locked for existing customers or only for the first year.
  • Is the equipment free, rented, or purchased? And if it is free, what happens to that if you cancel.
  • What happens if it is lost or broken? Get the actual replacement figure, not "we would work with you".
  • What does cancelling really require? Ask specifically whether billing stops when you call, or when the equipment is back. The honest answer for most of the industry is when it is back, and a company that will not say so plainly is the one to worry about.
  • Is there a money-back period, and does it run from the order or the delivery? Those are different by up to a week.
  • Are there activation, shipping or restocking fees? Ask for the total of the first payment before you give a card.

Our answers, so you can compare.

Two U.S. response centers in Rexburg, Idaho and Ogden, Utah, fully redundant. Month to month, no minimum term. We do not raise the rate on an existing customer. Equipment is included at no cost and stays ours. A system not returned is $380 plus tax, and we never charge for pendants, buttons or chargers. Billing stops when the equipment is back with us or is paid for, and we say that on the cancel page rather than in the small print. 30 days money back, running from delivery. No activation fee, no shipping fee, free returns.

Where we are not the right choice

Worth saying plainly, because it saves everyone time:

  • If you want a smartwatch that also does messages, music and apps, buy a smartwatch. Ours is a medical alert that happens to be worn on the wrist.
  • If you want the caregiver app on a wrist-worn device, we cannot do that today. Our app works with the Belle X, which is a neck pendant.
  • If the person is outside the United States, we cannot monitor them.
  • If there is no cellular coverage at the house and no landline, no medical alert system will work there, ours included.

Still not sure?

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