Choosing A Medical Alarm

Buying Tips For Medical Alarms

There are a large number of of medical alarm system providers offering similar systems but at different prices and service levels

Top tip: find out about the monthly fees and examine the contract.

The monthly monitoring fees are the major cost but there may also be fees for installation and equipment. Most medical alarm companies will rent the equipment to you for free for as long as you need it.

The monthly fee is charged to have your alarm equipment monitored 24 hours a day by a team of response operators trained to handle emergency calls. The monitoring fees range from about $20 to $75 per month. The installation fee ranges for $0 to $100 and some companies do not charge an installation fee. Some systems are self-installed which means no installation charges.

Low pricing should not be your only criteria for choosing a system. In fact, a price that is too low, say less than $20 per month, will not allow the company to provide the good level of service needed by clients. 

Look for a company that uses a month-to-month agreement with no cancellation or termination fees.

Get a base unit with a battery backup.
In case the mains power is out there must be a battery backup so that the base unit continues to operate. This is important especially as accidents are more likely to occur if it is dark inside the house. Will faulty equipment be replaced?

Choose a medical alarm monitoring service that uses live operators.
Make sure live operators are employed to deal with calls at the monitoring center and not a phone response or voicemail system which would cause delays. Ask about the speed of response to calls.

Find out about the operator training process.
You want qualified people to assist you when you make a call. Ask what type of training is provided and how long staff spend training before going on the job. Typically 4 to 8 weeks of training is provided.

Get an easy-to-use medical alert unit.
The base unit and the wireless transmitter should be easy to use with large illuminated buttons. Make sure the units choosen are suitable for the special needs of the client. Find out over what distance the transmitter can communicate with the console i.e. will the system work if you are outside.

Test your medical alarm unit.
You should test your medical alarm as soon as you receive it. See how long it takes for someone to respond to your call, how clear it sounds and how far away from the base unit the transmitter will still work.

Does the system automatically self-test?
Some systems are set up so that the base unit can send a signal to the monitoring center every week to test that the medical alert system is still connected and working.

Go for a trial period.
Ask for a 30-day trial period to give you the opportunity to try a medical alert system without financial risk.

Check that the equipment is reliable.
Make use of a trial period to check the reliability of the equipment and the longer-term performance of the monitoring center.

Find out how long the monitoring service has been in business.
Dealing with a medical alarm company that has only just entered the business increases your risk.

Do you want to use a provider that has its own monitoring center?
Many smaller providers outsource the medical alert monitoring because of the expense of running their own facilities. This raises questions about quality of service and management control and evaluation. 

Get a lockbox for the house.
A lockbox contains a key to the house that enables a neighbor or medical personnel to quickly enter the house in case of emergency. It uses a combination lock.

Answers to common medical alarm questions.