1. Medical alert systems offer many features designed to keep users safe. Some providers provide medication reminders and daily check-in functions; while others provide advanced fall detection technology.
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3. Medical monitoring companies also typically include 24-hour access to emergency response specialists as a critical service, in addition to warranties and protection plans to give peace of mind to clients.
4. Features
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6. Dependent upon the brand, most medical alert systems offer both in-home devices that plug into a base unit as well as mobile ones you can carry with you on the go. Both kinds of alert devices can connect with monitoring centers via landline or cell network and come equipped with backup batteries in case of power outage - plus many brands also provide add-on features and devices.
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8. Example of Wearable Fall Detectors on Seniors Living Alone Some companies provide fall detection technology via wearable devices to detect falls, which can be an increasing problem among elderly living alone. Others provide medication reminders and activity tracking through secure apps used by caregiver teams collaborating on care. Still, none of these features should replace in-person care; before making your purchase it's important to consider exactly what features your device needs to provide before purchasing one.
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10. Our ratings considered various criteria when identifying the top medical alarms, such as pricing and extra features. In addition, we considered how transparent and user-friendly each company's website was. Lastly, we considered how long each business had been operating.
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13. Our seven brands that made our final list all offer monitored systems, meaning your call button always connects to a real person. They keep startup costs to a minimum by only charging for shipping fees and system activation (typically $49 each time). Furthermore, they allow for monthly or annual plans with no long-term commitment and discounts that bring monthly costs below $20.
14. Benefits
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16. Medical alert systems offer seniors who live alone or are prone to falling with assistance without creating undue stress for family members who care about keeping them safe while living independently.
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18. Medical alert systems work by enabling someone to quickly call for assistance with just one push of a button on a pendant or wrist watch worn around their neck or wrist, linking directly to a 24-hour call center that offers access to basic medical data and emergency contacts of individuals using it, while it may even detect falls and dispatch help immediately.
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20. Some of the top medical alert systems offer add-on features such as medication reminders, activity tracking, home automation capabilities such as air temperature and humidity sensors to monitor seniors for safety and health, free shipping with no setup fees and reduced monthly rates when paying on an annual or semiannual basis. Other advantages may include free shipping without setup fees as well as lower monthly rates that often become even lower over time.
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22. All seven brands we reviewed for our medical alert system rankings feature monitored systems, meaning their call buttons connect directly with a live operator when activated. However, some also have unmonitored options which can be programmed to dial an emergency contact number automatically when activated.
23. Pricing
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25. The device costs around $99.00 and there's an associated monthly lease and monitoring fee that's significantly less than what companies like Medical Guardian and Bay Alarm charge for similar products.
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27. When purchasing a system requiring monthly subscription, it's essential that you understand how it works. If a loved one trips and falls while wearing their device, the system will immediately alert an emergency response center which will then contact their loved one directly in order to determine their location using cellular triangulation; care specialists can quickly ascertain whether a user is at home or outdoors which improves response times compared with non-cellular GPS systems.
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29. personal alarms for elderly Unmonitored systems often require contracts, which may prove an obstacle for seniors who may need to cancel over time. Some don't allow more than one emergency contact to be added at once and limit your family's ability to reach someone during an emergency situation. Other competitors like LogicMark offer no-contract options which make their systems more accessible to senior citizens.
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31. Life Alert's entry-level option, the Basic plan, features a base unit and pendant that's similar in size to that of a walkie-talkie. The device plugs directly into traditional home landline phones without providing mobile functionality; and will only contact 911 in an emergency compared to competing systems that call up to five contacts and provide GPS data so operators can track you.
32. Customer Service
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34. Medical alert systems can provide essential security for seniors living independently while remaining vulnerable to falls, stroke, or heart attack. Unfortunately, with so many systems available it can be hard to know which will best meet a loved one's needs; to assist us, we mystery-shopped 30 brands and evaluated their emergency response protocols while speaking with experts and families regarding what features were most important for each one.
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36. At our research, the ADT Medical Alert system offered the ideal balance of reliability and value. This device works with traditional landline phones as well as cell networks and features a 1,400-ft range; voice status reports allow users to hear their battery level, signal strength, etc. Additionally, its backup battery kept working more than 30 hours during our simulated power outage test; plus there is 24/7 monitoring with no increase in monthly rates during its contract term.
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38. Bay Alarm Medical's SOS All-In-One 2 is an ideal 4G LTE cellular in-home monitoring solution, featuring easy setup without the need for landline phones. Additionally, this system's unique features such as "first activity" alerts that notify caregivers if a wearer has just got up out of bed are also noteworthy; plus geofencing enables family members to set boundaries on maps so they receive alerts if someone leaves home unexpectedly.
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40. Website: https://getfamilyr.com/