How to pick a medical alert system in just 5 minutes

If they fall or have a medical emergency at home, there’s no one there to help them.

You hate the thought of them lying on the floor in pain for days, or dying because they couldn’t get emergency help.

The solution is a medical alert system.

This is a small device you wear or carry that can dial the phone and get help if you get hurt and can’t reach the phone.

So far, so good.

But the minute you start researching these, you’ll realize that it’s one of the most confusing purchases you’ve ever made.

All the manufacturers have different claims. It’s hard to tell who’s telling the truth.

You could easily lose hours of your life researching the topic. And you might not make a better decision.

Here are two ways to make a quick decision.

First, you could go with the nationally known brand that spends the most money on advertising, but then you might get locked into a long contract and your monthly fees will go toward buying more television advertising time.

Second, you can follow the simple recommendations below.

1. If you or your elderly loved one lives in a small home and is inactive, go with a tried and true system like LifeStation.

2. If you’re buying for a more active person, look to the Medipendant, which provides a “talk-through-the-pendant” system so you can have a clear two-way conversation with the monitoring center anywhere in your house and in the yard. Get details on the Medipenant.

Yes, there are dozens of other companies you could investigate, and several more types of systems to learn about.

But you’re in a hurry, so these are two options you can use confidently. Neither one locks you into a long term contract, and their rates are reasonable.

Photo by Casey Marshall