Every year, at least one out of four elderly or disabled persons suffers a fall in or around their home. About 20 percent of those falls lead to a serious injury that requires treatment in a hospital’s emergency department, often leading to hospitalization for a head injury or hip fracture. After just one fall, that person’s chance of falling again in the future doubles.
For seniors and people with disabilities who wish to continue living independently, a medical alert system is highly recommended so that immediate assistance will arrive when there’s an injury or medical emergency. A medical alert system can’t prevent something like a fall from occurring, but it can ensure that help is on the way as soon as possible. These systems are connected to emergency response providers who can then arrange for a senior’s transport to medical services right away. Different medical alert systems can provide various functions that give elderly people and their families peace of mind if and when a medical emergency occurs.
Medical Care Alert is an award-winning, family-owned, Michigan-based company that provides emergency response systems to help seniors live a more carefree, independent lifestyle, knowing that help will arrive with just the push of a button. In fact, the owners of Medical Care Alert use their medical care alert services to monitor and protect their own family members. American Response Technologies, Inc., is the company that provides the Medical Care Alert response service.
This guide discusses Medical Care Alert’s medical alert systems, costs and options. A list of the devices and the services’ pros and cons are also provided.
Medical Care Alert System: What You Should Know
Medical Care Alert offers three medical alert systems: HOME, HOME & YARD and HOME & AWAY.
Each system can be installed and set up in just a few minutes without any technical assistance. The system just needs to be plugged into an electrical outlet and connected to a telephone jack. There are no long-term commitments, setup charges or hidden fees involved with the purchase of a Medical Care Alert system. Various plans are available for the system’s Medical Alert Monitoring Agreement, which can be canceled at any time without any type of fee attached.
Medical Care Alert offers a no-risk, 14-day free trial of its systems. If during the first 14 days of use, a customer isn’t happy with the system, it can be returned for a full refund without issue, as long as the system has been tested at least once with the company’s Emergency Response Center.
Two of the Medical Care Alert systems (HOME and HOME & YARD) use regular landline phone service to contact the Emergency Response Center. The landline can be a standard phone line, a digital VoIP or DSL service. The HOME system also has an AT&T cellular network option that’s independent from a personal cell phone.
A trained, EMT-certified operator who knows the caller’s name and location answers calls from the Medical Care Alert system. If help is needed, the appropriate emergency responders are contacted, as are the persons on the subscriber’s list of contacts, such as family, friends or neighbors.
Medical Care Alert also offers an automatic fall detection option on two of its devices. These systems use AutoFALL technology to detect whether someone has fallen, especially valuable if they are not able to press the button for help. Automatic fall detection is available on the HOME and HOME & AWAY systems. AutoFALL technology integrates detection sensors into the system that can note abnormal changes in vertical and horizontal positioning. If the system detects a fall without any correction in body movement after 10 seconds, the Medical Care Alert system activates a call for help.
|
HOME |
HOME & YARD |
HOME & AWAY |
| Connection Type |
Landline or Cellular |
Landline or Cellular |
AT&T, 4G LTE, GPS |
| Help Button |
Pendant or wrist-style button |
Lanyard pendant, wrist/wheelchair strap holder or belt clip |
Pendant |
| Battery |
Internal button batteries last up to 7 years |
Rechargeable batteries: 4 hours talk time, 4 months in standby |
Handset: 120-hour standby battery |
| Water Rating |
Waterproof button |
Water-resistant, shower-safe |
Water-resistant, shower-safe |
| Two-way Speaker |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
| Fall Detection |
Optional |
No |
Optional |
Medical Care Alert Plans and Pricing
The HOME Medical Alert System has three affordable payment subscription options: semiannual, annual or quarterly. Each HOME subscription offers a risk-free in-home trial of the equipment and service plus a price-lock guarantee. There are no long-term commitments and no activation fees. The system is shipped free to customers via USPS Priority mail. For people who choose the annual plan (12 months of 24/7 monitoring), one month’s service is free for the year, and a free EMS lockbox is included so EMT workers can enter the home without breaking down a door. The monthly charges for the HOME system services are $29.95 a month for semiannual (6 months’ monitoring) or quarterly (3 months) plans and $27.45 per month for the annual subscription.
Medical Alert System’s HOME & YARD offers a semiannual plan at $34.95 per month. This includes the free in-home trial, price-lock guarantee, free shipping, no activation fees and no long-term commitments. The quarterly plan for HOME & YARD is also $34.95 monthly, but shipping is not free. The best value is the annual plan, which provides everything that the semiannual plan does plus a free month’s service and a complimentary EMS lockbox.
HOME & AWAY from Medical Care Alert costs $39.95/month for the semiannual plan. This plan includes the free trial, price lock, free equipment shipping, no long-term commitments, no activation fees and a free EMS lockbox. The quarterly plan provides all of the above at the same price, but shipping is not free. The annual plan costs $36.62 a month and adds a month’s free service and a free lockbox.
Pros and Cons of Medical Care Alert Medical Alert System
A medical alert system is an important device to have on hand for the protection of elderly or disabled family members. These are some of the pros and cons of the company, its services and the devices on offer.
Pros
- CSAA Insurance Group has awarded Medical Care Alert its Monitoring Center of the Year Award.
- The company is rated A+ by the Better Business Bureau.
- The Medical Care Alert service is offered by American Response Technologies, which is staffed by EMT-trained Life Safety Agents who speak calmly in emergencies and contact emergency services and family members when needed.
- Systems are simple to self-install, no technicians necessary.
- Various service plans are offered on a monthly basis with no long-term commitment.
- Prices are locked in and guaranteed for life.
- Some extra options include SMS text message alerts to emergency contacts, a key lockbox for EMTs, fall detection, GPS and cellular options.
- The company has award-winning customer service.
Cons
- Emergency operators only speak English or Spanish.
- Some monitoring plans charge for the shipping of equipment.
- The system can be returned after a 14-day trial, but some conditions involved in getting a full refund include having actually used the system to call for help and whether the equipment has been damaged.
