5 Questions to Ask Before Purchasing In-Home Medical Alert Systems

Opening the wallet to subscribe to a medical alert system is no doubt an important decision. After all, the life of your loved one depends on it. Seniors and patients with different lifestyles and surroundings all have their own needs and therefore a particular device to suit, so it’s important to avoid paying for something they don’t use. For this reason, it’s necessary to dive headlong into the colorful world of medical alert units and inform yourself about the pros and cons of a service. While we try to do as much as we can to enlighten you with our comparison articles, there are some questions that you should be asking yourself about medical alert devices.

Obviously not, in fact they do the exact opposite. The system is designed in a way to grant the largest area of freedom without compromising the wearer’s safety. The base station – which is the heart of any in-home medical alert system – has a large enough coverage to ensure that the senior doesn’t need to sit in the same room all day. Although the distance varies depending on the provider and its hardware, they are usually large enough to cover the whole house plus the garden or front yard. While within this protective radius, the owner is free to go anywhere as the help button’s signal will reach the base station. This help button closely resembles a wearable accessory such as a pendant or wristwatch and since it is waterproof it can safely be worn even at the pool or in the shower.

Well, most services can be cancelled whenever you wish, however bear in mind that each company has a different refund policy. Most of the time you won’t get the prepaid amount back if the cancellation takes place before the contract has ended. In most cases the cancellation is done by contacting customer support but the process usually takes a while, so don’t leave it until the last minute since the subscription might be renewed in the meantime. Usually there are monthly, quarterly, semi-annual and annual plans on offer, which gives plenty of room to plan ahead. Note that some companies won’t cancel the service until the equipment is sent back, either.

Yes, and making a suitable purchase decision is impossible without understanding the subtle differences between personal emergency systems. Each and every system is unique, from basic aspects such as the range of coverage, available connectivity types, and battery life to extra features like fall detection, mobile buttons, or GPS tracking. Reading customer and professional reviews and checking out dedicated comparison articles will help to shed some light on the issue.