Best Medical Alert Systems With No Monthly Fees

As technology advances at seemingly exponential speed, so do medical alert devices. The best medical alert systems provide more safety for older adults than they could a decade ago. While these advancements are useful, they come at a higher cost, leaving older adults on a tight budget to look for alternatives.

Not all seniors can afford another monthly bill. Some companies have realized this and now offer medical alert systems without monthly fees. While this is great for your wallet, these systems lack some of the standard safety features and the 24/7 monitoring of systems with monthly fees, so they won’t be right for everyone.

Below, we’ll take a look at systems without monthly fees, who they’re best for, and affordable alternatives.

How Do Medical Alert Devices With No Monthly Fees Work?

Medical alert systems typically require a monthly monitoring fee, equipment fee, or both. Medical alert devices without monthly fees eliminate monitoring, but you’ll still pay an upfront equipment fee. In other words, you are buying the system outright.

To get rid of monthly fees, providers also eliminate the use of a monitoring center as a go-between for the subscriber and 911 dispatchers. Instead, you’ll press a help button (or use voice activation) to call 911, your emergency contacts, or both, depending on how you set up the system.

Monitored vs. No Monthly Fee Medical Alert Systems

Monitored Systems

While deciding which type of system is best for you, consider what the monthly fees cover. Most importantly, when pressing the emergency button on your device, rather than connecting to 911 or emergency contacts directly, you will be connecting with a monitoring center agent. These agents are well-trained; some even have EMT certifications. They quickly assess the situation and then call 911 to send the appropriate help.

The monitoring agents usually have the subscriber’s medical history, current medications, and allergies at their fingertips. They can communicate with a 911 dispatcher in a way that the person in distress can’t, as they might be in pain, dizzy, or even unconscious. Many on-the-go monitored systems also include advanced location detection to determine your precise location. This means that help can be sent straight to you, even if you don’t know where you are.

No Monthly Fee Systems

Systems without monthly fees are typically simple and easy to use. This is a plus. On the other hand, they often don’t include advanced features that you may find useful or even lifesaving, such as fall detection pendants. Fall detection is a somewhat recent technology: If you fall while wearing your pendant, it will automatically detect the fall and send an alert to the monitoring center, whether you remain conscious or not. One in three older adults falls at least once per year, so this is a feature we highly recommend.

Is a Medical Alert System With No Monthly Fee Right for Me?

The biggest advantage of medical alert systems without monthly fees is the cost savings. A medical alert system without a monthly fee is most appropriate for the money-conscious older adult who still wants some layer of protection. In addition, because most systems with no monthly fee are at-home systems, they are best suited for those who are homebound or rarely leave their home unaccompanied.

Typically, these systems do not include advanced features such as fall detection or 24/7 monitoring. For this reason, they are not a good fit for seniors who are at high risk of falling. This high-risk group includes those with dementia, Parkinson’s disease, diabetes, COPD, or vision loss. It also includes those who take medications that cause dizziness or weakness, have fallen at least once before, or are 85 and older.2