April 10, 2012
In today’s world when disaster and emergencies arise many communities around the world have emergency response teams and plans that are ready to be activated at any time.
Quite often the most visible providers of emergency services are first responders such as police, fire and ambulance personnel. These first responders frequently perform heroic acts and are often credited with saving many lives.
In emergency situations many local, state and federal departments and agencies join together to provide whatever level of response is needed to bring a situation under control. Some emergencies are so large and serious that they require the presence of military troops.
Another type of emergency response system is a home medical emergency alarm which many senior citizens and people with disabilities regularly use. These emergency response systems are connected to various emergency personnel who coordinate the appropriate response.
April 1, 2012
Individuals with chronic medical situations for instance arthritis might be advised to put on a medical alert bracelet on his/her body part as available. If you were involved in a mishap or had a medical urgent situation, what information would be significant for emergency workers to know in relation to your medical situation? By carrying a wallet card and/or wearing a medical alert bracelet, the medical information is straight away available to any person helping you in a medical urgent situation.
If an emergency occurs while your kid is at a friend’s house or daycare or school, you want to make certain emergency personnel obtain that important information rapidly. In fact there are many types of such medical alert bracelets on the market at this time. However, their importance is similar. The following are some the most widely used types of the medical alert bracelets such as MedicAlert, Medical ID Alert Bracelets by Fiddledee IDs, American Medical ID, Sterling Silver Engraveable Enameled Hexagon Medical ID Bracelet and Magnetic Medical ID Bracele.
March 24, 2012
Most families will admit that they would do anything to ensure that their parents are always safe and this is why the medical alert bracelet has become so popular. You have probably seen a lot commercials that talk about the bracelet and how it has saved countless lives.
What Does It Do?
The medical alert bracelet basically helps monitor the people that you love so that they will be able to get emergency help, 24/7. This response service can be very important and will certainly help any senior in your family. This is best for patients that have Alzheimer’s or anything related to dementia and will often wander off. You will be able to make sure that everything is fine and the GPS enable device helps to sure this.
Though these bracelets might require a membership, it is important that you invest in your family’s health. There is nothing worse then waking up and realizing that your sick mom or dad has wandered outside. This can cause a lot of problems and people need to understand that this is a possibility. If you are serious about making sure that everything is okay, you need to consider the medical alert bracelet.
March 16, 2012
Medical ID and alert bracelets were created by the American Medical Society to identify certain patients who have a need for emergency medical care. This proved to be an excellent way to let other people, besides family, know what could be happening to you in an emergency situation. This could be with a child, an adult, or a senior citizen who might have Alzheimer’s or Dementia.
The ID bracelet has the AMA insignia and an individual identifying number. By having a medical alert, the patient has all their medicines and symptoms of their problem kept in a file that can be immediately reached in the emergency.
In recent years, though, the AMA and alert companies have made owning and wearing an ID alert so much easier by making the medical symbol a statement in jewelry. Bracelets come in stainless, silver, titanium and even gold. There are charms with the medical insignia that can be worn on a bracelet or a necklace, metal wrist bands that look like a watch band, and now you can find sports bands in multi-colors, or flex belt bands. The stigma is off of these alerts that can save people’s lives and keeping up with the latest style is in.
March 14, 2012
Medical alarm systems are quite popular today. For those living alone at home in their later years or people with medical issues that could require immediate attention, these potentially life saving tools are a great choice.
In most cases, medical alarm systems are pendants worn on a necklace or bracelet. They have a built in transmission signal that can be activated at any moment with the push of a button. A data center is immediately notified when the emergency signal is sent out from the alarm system. Once they receive the signal, the proper family members, caregivers or emergency service providers are notified of the situation.
For those who may need help in a hurry, medical alarm systems are a very smart and safe option. They provide users with a bit of independence while also giving family and caregivers the assurance that they can be reached in seconds should they need to be.
Mary Albert, Health Writer
Jack Stewart, Recreational
Alice Mitchell, Travel Writer
Dorthy Wilson, Relationship Writer
I purchased a medical alert system after my mother fell a few months ago and it saved her life. I couldn’t be happier with the company we chose or the promptness of their response. I think every parent and grandparent living alone should have one of these.
I need to acquire a system for my 90 year old mother to use as I will be relocating soon and she wishes to stay home. My concern is my house is two stories. If she is downstairs and the monitor is upstairs, what happens when she presses the button? Can I get a monitor for both upstairs and downstairs with the LifeStation system?
I verified with Lifestation and they said yes this is a possible option but their advice was to order the system with one base console and when it arrives test every far-to-reach corner of your home to see how it works. They are convinced that their system will work in almost every home. In the event that you have an area of your home that is not covered by their system you can install a second unit.
My mother spends summers on the east coast and winters on the west coast. I assume national companies serve all states but are there special things to watch out for in choosing a company?
All the companies we review on this site work everywhere in North America. Good luck with your decision and don’t forget to rate the system you pick.
Mary
Does anyone know if there is any interference with the pendant battery and an implanted pacemaker/defibrillator device? The device mentions that you should use the ear opposite the device for talking on cell phones, but maybe those are more powerful batteries?
Thanks for any info.
My Mom has the Phillips Lifeline System. We chose this system because of the fall feature. She pays about $20 more /month for this feature. I believe they have 24/7 contact service. The table above gives other hours??? She is questioning whether the fall feature is really worth the extra cost.
I need an alert system that will call on a daily basis to make sure I’m OK. Do any of these recommended systems do that and if not, is there one out there that will?
Lifestation has a service called “Activity Assurance” in which they will automatically check in each day to ensure that all is well. You can see this as part of their package at the following link: http://www.happyhealth.net/go/lifestation-order/
I own a medical alarm company and we have been rated by AARP and the BBB. We have great affordable plans and our customers always come first. Check us out.
medical alert systems
All medical alert systems are essentially the same. These kinds of services have been around for 20+ years now and the technology hasn’t changed. As mentioned above, your best bet is to go with a company that been in business for awhile and also won’t hit you with any hidden fees or long-term contracts.
My family used Bay Alarm Medical for my grandfather before he passed away late last year. At the time they were the least expensive and offered a free lockbox with the service.
There are many other great companies on the web so make sure to do your due diligence to find what’s best for your loved one!
MEDSCOPE is a great company, http://www.medscope.org They have no hidden fees, NO long term contracts, and much cheaper per month than the competition. Very similar to Lifestation and have an A rating with the BBB. Check it out, do your research and don’t get strong armed by pushy salesman.
If my mom already has ADT home security, could I add on a medical alert system that is different (like LifeStation, since it seems to have more features that I like)?
Yes. Most medical alert systems connect to your phone line and shouldn’t conflict with your home security system.
Which ones can you speak through the pendant?
Lifewatch USA medical alert systems has a button with a speaker in it. They even have a mobile help button with a speaker in it that you can take everywhere.
Not clear to me whether you need to have a land line telephone.
Medical alert systems need to be connected to a phone jack, which is typically a land line. Though I suppose if you had a digital phone or voip you could plug it in there… any phone jack.
Some alert systems, such as LifeStation, have a 911 add-on device that allows you to send an alert when you are not home. From what I have read, this 911 device appears to use a radio signal and does not connect to your telephone.
Any reports of interference with Internet Wifi routers? Any information on “Designed For Seniors” medical alarm advertised in AARP Bulletin and sold by First Street? thanks- Trudi Swain
Land lines probably have the highest reliability. I’ve never had a dropped call on a land line. This would also avoid any potential interference.
I talked to First Street and they said they don’t have their own emergency center, so I guess its outsourced. I personally would rather have a system from a provider with their own emergency center.
Lifewatch USA has a no land line system. They have been around for 30 years and have the latest technology.
Thanks for the reviews. But, how do we know that the top three listed companies are not running this site and list only positive reviews for themselves?
Our website guy said the companies are listed in order of their rating. He said peoples reviews will automatically adjust the rating. So please join the discussion.
If you have experience with any of the medical alarms please share your experiences and write a review. Thanks for your great question.
need info on your most popular alarm for patients with epilepsy
Sharon
Hi Sharon. That is a great question. We don’t have any information right now about the best options for epilepsy but this is something we’ll look into. Do you have any advice to share?
Sharon, we’ve put together some info for you about features to consider in a medical alert system for people with epilepsy: Medical Alert Systems for those with Epilepsy
Do any of these systems make provisions for telephones that are “off-hook”. Meaning would the Medical Alert send out the alert if any of the home’s telephones are not hung up (off the telephone base)?
LifeStation has something new called ’911 Phone’ which claims to provide a quick way to access 911 services when you’re not at home.This could also be used when the phone is off the hook.
Some systems have activity assurance that check in everyday, so if the phone was off the hook the emergency team would be notified when that check-in fails to happen.
Do you have any ratings on a company LifeGuardian Personal Assistance Resonse Systems? Thank you
I don’t think we have any information on them, but we will look into it. Thank you for the suggestion. Have you used their system? If yes, can you share your experience? Thanks.
Ann, we’ve looked over the LifeGuardian website and summarized the info here: LifeGuardian Alert System. If you’ve used their system please share your feedback with this community by writing a review.
We are working on adding reviews for other medical alert companies that some of our vistors have been asking about. Please let us know if you know of a system that you are interested in that we could add to our review.
Thanks for putting together this great info. I’ve been searching for a medical alarm for my mom for the last month.
Many Medical Alert Systems are listed on the better business bureau (BBB) at http://www.bbb.org/ I’m glad this site show the BBB rating for their top reviews. So many problems and bad service horror stories could be avoided if people researched the product they needed instead of listening to the recommendation of a high pressure salesperson.
If you have a high pressure sales person in your house I feel sorry for you. The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) put together guidelines for purchasing medical alert systems partially in response to high pressure sales people. See their guidelines at: http://www.ftc.gov/bcp/edu/microsites/whocares/emergency.shtm
The best way to purchase a medical alert systems is on the Internet on your own time. There you can do the proper research and determine what features best suit your needs without any sales person in your home trying to convince you that his product is best.
How did you find the info on Medical Alert Systems on
the BBB website you have. We tried to do it but it didn’t
work for us. Thanks for your help!
Patrick Gannon
Please see the following links Lifestation and Lifefone’s BBB report:
Lifestation BBB Report
Lifefone BBB Report
MedScope’s BBB rating below
http://www.bbb.org/washington-dc-eastern-pa/business-reviews/medical-alarms/medscope-america-corporation-in-wynnewood-pa-133156857/
My mother passed away 3 months ago and the medical alert company we were using (not listed in your review above) is still billing us. Thank you for creating a site where medical alert systems can be honestly reviewed.
I picked up a medical alert system for my father. After reading many of the reviews I choose ADT Companion. They are a little more expensive, including an installation fee but at the end of the day reliability was most important to us. I’m not saying that other system are not reliable but I also have used an ADT security system in the past and I’ve always received good service. I know that some of the cheaper systems have reliablilty issues. The worst story that I heard (not ADT) was of a woman that had a system for three years and when she fell the system was offline. Nothing terrible happened but needless to say she switched companies.
I have had the Alert One medical alert system for 2 years. I’ve had no problems except for replacing the battery which is no big deal.