The biggest advantage of no-fee medical alerts is cost.
With a monitored system you have to pay a monthly fee to the monitoring company. This runs about $20 to $30 per month.
With a no-fee system, you don’t pay a monthly fee. Once you’ve spent the money on the system, you can keep it and use it as long as you want.
Of course, it might be harder to come up with the full cost of the alert device than it would be to make a monthly payment.
Over the course of a few years of use, the no-fee system can be a lot more affordable.
For example, if you compare 3 years at $30 a month, that’s almost $1000. In contrast, even the most expensive no-fee systems are less than $300.
Other advantages
Lower costs aren’t the only advantage of no-fee systems, but here we’re getting into areas of personal preference.
For example, some elderly people will think it’s an advantage that the system doesn’t dial a monitoring center. These people are more private and they don’t want a stranger knowing what’s going on in their lives. They would rather have complete control over who gets called and who knows that they need help.
Other people will find it easier to use the system if they know it’s a relative or friend who will get notified. They won’t feel that they are imposing on anyone. (But others will be more reluctant to alert friends & family for the opposite reason!)
They may also feel that they have more control over the eventual outcome. For example, a person might worry that if they have a monitored system, the call center will send an ambulance over for every little thing. This could cost a lot of money and be embarrassing for the person. In contrast, with relatives and friends the person might be able to make it clear that they don’t want an ambulance unless it’s absolutely necessary.
One other advantage of some no-fee systems is that some of them use up-to-date technology. The Guardian 911 and Freedom Alert are both excellent devices, and they have the advantage of having a pendant that is actually a two way cordless phone, not just a panic button. This can make a big difference in the effective range of the system.
Next: Disadvantages of no-fee medical alerts
Return to the no-fee medical alerts page.
