How to Choose a Medical Alert System
- 1). Assess the situation and decide what important features you must have. For example, the medical alert button needs to be easy to wear and push. The communication needs to be especially loud and clear for someone hard of hearing. A longer range may be necessary for someone with a large home. If a senior citizen might move to a new location, you'll want the medical alert service to be available nationwide. If the need is only temporary while a senior citizen is recovering from illness or injury, you won't want a long-term contract.
- 2). Compare different medical alert services, keeping your priorities in mind. Eliminate those that don't meet your minimum requirements. In addition, the medical alert equipment should be UL listed, and include regular free testing to make sure it's working correctly. It should be compatible with the phone system in the house, even if there's no land line or more than one line, and it should be able to "seize the line" and call out even if the phone is off the hook or another call is being made. It should have a battery back-up in the base unit in case the power is out, and a warning signal for low batteries. Make sure the warranty is sufficient and repair policies are clear. A money-back guarantee after an in-home trial is a benefit.
- 3). Compare prices. You can purchase, rent or lease medical alert systems. Some companies sell the equipment and then charge a monthly fee for the monitoring service, while other companies rent the equipment and include the monthly rent with the monthly monitoring cost. Prices can range from $200 to several thousand for the equipment plus monthly monitoring costs of $10-$30, or monthly rental fees of $15-$50 including monitoring services. Find out how long the contract lasts, whether it's automatically renewed, how to cancel if you want, and if there are early termination fees.
- 4). Ask how the medical alert system will be installed. Medical alert systems are usually simple enough that a family can install them without paying a professional. Some companies require you to pay an extra fee for their employee to do the installation, and if so, be careful that the employee doesn't pressure the senior citizen to buy extra unneeded products or services.
- 5). Once you've found several systems that seem suitable, compare the companies' reputations. Check with the Better Business Bureau and seach online for consumer complaints.
- 6). After your medical alert system is installed, test it while it's still in its money-back guarantee period. Make sure the signal is strong enough to reach the phone from the farthest distance, and that the emergency response center answers promptly and is easy to hear.
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