I am considering purchasing a "medic-alert" bracelet or pendant & service. I can't find any rating of the myriad services available. Any suggestions?

My husband used Mobile Help for one year and they were great. They are a top rated "Medic Alert System." You might want to call them to see what their rates are for the program you want. We got the service where my husband wore a medallion around his neck with a sensor that connected him to Mobile Help and it had the added feature of sensing falls. We never had to use that feature but it gave me peace of mind knowing that if he fell and I wasn't at home with him and they couldn't contact me, then they would have sent the paramedics to our home. We changed to a different service because we learned that our insurance covers an alert service for my husband. We are currently with Best Buy's Medic Alert program and they are very helpful and responsive. Check to see if your insurance might have a Medic Alert service as one of the benefits of your insurance. It sounds like you could really benefit from this kind of Home Alert System since it would help you if you were to fall when you are alone in your home. Good luck and stay safe!!

I have extensive knowledge about these things because we needed one for my mother. She lived in a rural area which was only served by Verizon. Most of these types of businesses use AT&T, although I believe more have started using Verizon towers. Make sure you find out which towers they use if that is a concern for where you reside. We had the one with GPS tracking in case she was knocked unconscious when she fell. If she didn't respond when the company tried to reach out to her, they would send 911. I worked with a woman who started this business when she and her husband retired from their prior employment. They were amazing to work with. If you would like contact information, I am happy to provide that.

I can't say Mom "needed" this type of help because I was with her a lot of the time. But I felt like I could leave her for periods because she wasn't "alone". Good luck with your research.

It has been several years but Phillips Lifeline worked well for us. Devices are not foolroof. Mom had a couple of slow or 2-stage falls that didn't register with her pendant. Initially, it would go off when she sat down because she would just kind of fall backwards to sit down. There was a learning curve, but after we got that straightened out it worked well. They called us when we were out of town for a day and she fell between her recliner and the wall and couldn't get back up. EMTs came, let selves in the house with hidden key and got her up. She refused medical care saying she was okay, but Lifeline called us right away to give us all that info. Not perfect but a great help.

I don't know if this will help you or not. I live alone, I have Life Alert. I have used it 2 times. I had a stroke and even though I had my phone in my hand talking to my niece, I found that the button that I wear on my wrist, better than trying to call 911 while I was actively having the stroke. They have a record of my medicines and my doctor's name which the operator gave to the medics. They also have My Daughter's name and phone number. They called her for me. I had one for my late mother, she had her button set up so they would call me, then my daughter, if we didn't answer, they would call 911. My girlfriend in California had one for her mother in Montana. They would call 911 first then call my friend in California and let her know there was a problem. My late Sister-in-Law got one when she was in her 50's because my brother worked from home during the week and her neighbors were gone. That way if she fell down the steps she didn't have to lay there until someone found her. You can set it up however you want.

I also have a GPS tracking device from them. As long as there is cell service they can find you using GPS. Say you went to a friend's house and the friend wasn't home, you fell down and since your regular device won't work that far from your base station, you press the button and they can locate you through GPS. The device you wear either on your wrist or around your neck only works for about 300 feet from the base station.

Both units cost me $69.90 a month. I think just the one you use at home is about $37.00 a month, I did not look around pricing companies because my friend's experience and my experience with my mother was good enough for me.

If all you have is your phone, and you fall on it and break a bone, you may be in too much pain to get it, also you cannot wear it in the shower where a lot of accidents happen. Too, if it is in your purse you may lose your grip on your purse and it falls out of reach. I wear my wrist device 24/7 because for me a necklace gets tangled while I sleep. I especially like it in the shower.

If you want to know more, message me.

AVOID Life Alert. They insist on giving a presentation. I wouldn't let her sign up on the same day, I wanted her to have time to think about it. When my mom didn't want to sign up, they told her that she couldn't just tear up the UNSIGNED contract and wanted to send someone over to pick it up. That would just give them another chance to pressure her into signing.

I ended up getting the contract from her and tearing it up, so she could tell them what I did and that I wouldn't let her sign it. I was ok with her blaming me, because she was a nervous wreck over the pressure they put her under.

And she still somehow got stuck with some kind of $95 fee and paid it to make them go away.

We ended up getting something through Costgo that did what we wanted and even had GPS and was much cheaper. They let her end things when she wanted with no pressure at all. She didn't get a mailing label when she returned the equipment, so they never actually received it, but they were nice and didn't charge her or give her any trouble. (They waited a year before reaching out to me because she stopped paying, and took my word for it that she returned the equipment.)

Marylu: Whichever one that you get make sure to wear it while in the shower. My mother wrongly assumed that she shouldn't even though she was told many times over to wear it at all times.

There was a report in "Consumer Report" organisation. It was some time back but I think with a little research you can find it

Some emergency alerts' services never require charging, so the user never has to worry about forgetting to do it. Get service information from your doctor. Agingcare website has information, too.

One thing no one seems to mention.
Make sure you choice of emergency device will work where you are located ( or are often located).
We got a device for mil, but we lived in the “dead zone” ( later verified by verizon.. it was a one house triangle maybe due to the nearby airport) and the service did not work.
They tried and tried to fix it.
Even our phone had to be wifi enabled and the wifi actually working.

Ask your primary care provider (doctor, nurse practitioner, or physician assistant) what s/he recommends.

My mom has Lively. She used to have a Jitterbug phone, so we transitioned to the pendant. It worked great when we needed it once. By the time I got home from work, the ambulance was on it's way already. It runs about $40-$45 per month.
https://www.lively.com/medical-alerts/

I am a single 83 year old and for more than 10 years now, have used two companies. The first one was almost the only one at the time, Medic Alert. Now I am using Medical Alert. There is also Life Alert, and quite a few other companies. I always look up record with Better Business Bureau on line of company I'm researching. There are ways the internet tells us online the "rating" of a company against others. Go on line and google Medical Alert Pendant and look at the many companies who offer the service. I am a fall risk. Both companies I have used, and now use, call immediately when I fall and through the button on the alert or master battery alert, the caller will address me by name and ask if I am okay.
Last year I fell, like a faint, and after I was on the floor I pressed the button. They had already sensed I had fallen and were trying to contact me. They called an ambulance for me. I live in an apartment complex. The door was locked. They told me not to move, they could enter, either getting key from complex office, or otherwise. I never knew what other way they could enter my apartment. But, they got here, and had to take me to hospital. The system works. They followed up with a few days later to see if I was okay.

National Council on Aging rated multiple products and has company names and their response times listed. Go to ncoa. com to see the list. I used Bay Medical for my father. He had a choice of several options (neck lanyard, wrist bracelet) and help buttons that could be placed in the location of your choice (peel and stick on - easy peasy!). The response time was very fast and the one time we had a true emergency they handled it in a timely and coordinated fashion by calling the local sherriffs department and informing emergency response where the lock box to enter home was located.

Hi Marylu - I'm so glad your recent fall wasn't serious. You're so smart to start looking now at medical alerts for yourself. My (rather vain) aunt refused to even consider one (too ugly and makes me look old) until she had fallen and been hospitalized several times.

I did a pretty exhaustive search and comparison back in September 2022 and finally decided on Senior Safety Medical Alert (Get Help Now). They don't require a contract, and the equipment is "free" as long as you return it when no longer needed (or a $300 equipment fee is assessed). It's $39/month and we elected to pay quarterly, which also included a lock box for a key to be put in near her front door. We arranged for her local Fire Department/Police Department to have the combination on file in case we ever needed to gain access in an emergency, and her home care company also had it. (I live in another state).

They were VERY nice, friendly, helpful. She did have a number of false alarms, which they took care of in a kind, caring way. Always made sure she was okay. They did have to call her EMS help a time or two when she couldn't get up by herself.

Good luck - hope this helps!

This may not help you but the VA provides medic alert systems, some with no monthly charge. I had a choice of three companies and am now waiting on my husband's to be delivered.

Life Alert is the worst, very expensive and requires a contract, so you could have to keep paying after LO passes. The second place company with a similar name is also expensive.

I went with Bay Medical, which was highly rated by AARP. I paid 3 months at a time for $9.99 month, with no upfront fees. Now that mom has passed I have to return the base unit or be charged $299. But it’s the same system - you give them a list of people to call, or they will call 911 etc. It costs more for automatic fall detection or gps monitoring.

The other companies charge you for the equipment upfront and you don’t have to return it, but they don’t allow you to give it away. The family of my mom’s late best friend offered me theirs, and the company (LifeLine I think) said she would still have to pay the full amount.

I got one for my mother when she had her stroke - I used Life Alert, watch and help buttons. The only downside is it is a 3-year contract. I feel secure in knowing she has help if I'm not around

Marylu,

I posted earlier but would like to ask you something. How do you feel about getting a service dog? Dogs are trained for many different situations now and they are amazing!

Some dogs are trained to work with people who have balance issues, some are even trained to act as a brace for people who fall.

Others are trained to work with people in wheelchairs and do tasks for them, like turning on light switches and so on.

Just a thought…if you think that you would feel more secure having a dog around.

Wishing you all the best.

For everyone that is saying just carry your cell phone; a precious woman from my church carried hers without fail, fell in the yard, on the pocket where the phone was, she couldn't get to the phone and died from exposure.

If falling is a reality for someone you love or yourself, something that notifies a service that a fall has taken place, without you having to do anything, is a better idea.

I would contact the local fire department and ask them for help in choosing, they are always happy to help.

Marylu: I'm sorry you fell and glad that you were lucky and had a friend who could come over to help you. Re: Consumer Reports and a trip to your local library. If you have a computer at home you might want to try, before making a trip to the library, calling and speaking to someone at the reference desk. My library has access to Consumer Reports (including back issues, I think) online, and you just have to have a regular library card to access these. If they do have this service, and you have a computer, they could possibly walk you through this on the phone. It could depend on the library's budget if they have a service like that. Good luck!

Using technology can help you in your care of your loved one, but all devices have limitations and your loved one may not interact with the device in ways you might think. Over time I’ve tried several related solutions with my wife and finally settled in on a device used by parents for their autistic child. It might or might not be right for you, but if you’re interested it’s called AngelSense. You need to attach it to your loved one’s clothing and is nearly impossible for anyone but you to remove. Some of the things it does are the following:
* tracks their location in real time
* alerts you when they travel outside boundaries are set / control
* allows you to listen / hear the sounds and noises of the area they are in
* allows you to call and talk to them without their intervention (it automatically answers / pickup)
* has an emergency button if they choose and remember to use it
* allows emergency workers to locate your loved one.
It does other things as well, but I found the above most helpful.

Like others have said I always take my cell phone with me when I am outside, walking the dog or what not. And I have gotten some great pictures with it too!

My husband has a small crossbody pouch type bag that he uses these days to carry is cell phone in.

Re: Barb. I recently wrote a too-long post about looking for a type of "holster" to put a smart phone in and wear like under your armpit. (It disappeared before anyone weighed in)..AARP had suggested this in a recent article. I asked if anyone knew where to buy such a thing. I think that could work. When I had a job a few years back I had a clip on my trousers to keep a cell/small smart phone in but I don't really wear those kinds of trousers with a belt much anymore.

Nowadays, if I had the money I'd get an Apple Watch which I understand you can hook up to a local EMT/911 service. But: 1) you need at least an I-phone 10 to sync with, I think; and 2) you'd need one of the "big" carriers like T-Mobile, ATT or Verizon I believe. I have an "off-brand" carrier which is cheap but not always reliable. I did not find a wearable pendant reliable that I had paid for, so I dropped the service. Good luck!

I hope that you will receive answers from members on this forum who have personal experiences with these types of devices.

I would recommend that you read reviews but I don’t have a lot of confidence in reviews. They aren’t always accurate.

You could start by asking your doctor if they have any recommendations on any particular brand that you can trust. They may have heard feedback from their patients.

I was pleasantly surprised when I asked my doctor about which blood pressure monitors that she liked. She told me about what she liked and what she didn’t like.

As far as alert devices go, my mom had the necklace type. Honestly, I found it to be pretty annoying and relatively useless.

Here’s why, there was a delay in the response from the provider. They ask tons of preliminary questions before contacting the EMTs.

Sometimes, it was difficult to hear what the service provider was saying, so I had to ask them to repeat what they said. When they couldn’t hear me I had to repeat all of the facts to them.

I found it much easier and faster to simply call 911 myself.

I placed a lockbox on my door and keyed in a code for the EMTs to enter. I ordered our lockbox on Amazon.

Good luck in finding a good device if you want to go that route.

The only advantage that I found in having a device is that the service will allow you to place phone numbers of family and friends in their system and then they notify them of your fall and let them know that help is on the way.

The other plus is that a person can wear the device in the shower. My mom didn’t shower alone but it is wonderful to have for people who are showering alone.

Welcome, Marylu!

I wonder if you might be better served by simply keeping your cell phone charged and on your person at all times?

Check whether Consumer Reports has rating Medical alert systems in the past year or so. You can check out their recent issues at the public library.

https://www.consumerreports.org/health/medical-alert-systems/best-medical-alert-systems-a1136054281/

It looks like they rated them in November 2023.