The Best Medical Alert Systems for Blind Users, Tested by Caregivers

With an average response time of 16 seconds and a battery that lasts up to six days, Bay Alarm Medical blew us away with the strength of its devices.

Bay Alarm Medical offers a variety of straightforward equipment, from a smartwatch to in-home systems, for affordable prices starting at just $19.95 per month. We recommend the SOS Mobile, a medical alert button that you can wear everywhere and anywhere, unlike the Essentials package from Aloe Care Health.

>>Read more: SOS Smartwatch Review

Wearable on either a belt clip or a neck lanyard, the pendant impressed us with its six-day battery life from a single charge. We wore it all the time, save for the few hours we spent charging it. We even wore it in the shower, as the device has an IP rating of 67, making it water-resistant. And in further contrast with Aloe’s Essentials package, fall detection is optional with the SOS Mobile, and it doesn’t require an additional device. That means that a blind user won’t have to search for a button after taking a nasty fall.

We paid $99 for the SOS Mobile itself, which was cheaper than all but the MobileHelp Duo, which required no upfront equipment cost. But beyond that, monthly costs range from $19.95 to $59.95 (fall detection costs an extra $10 per month.) The highest-tier package, the SOS Mobile 360° Bundle, tacks on an in-home device for even more protection. No matter which package you choose, there are no activation fees. In sum? Bay Alarm offers the lowest monthly prices of any company on this list.

>>Read more: Bay Alarm Medical Costs

Although we appreciated the caregiver tracking available in the Bay Alarm Medical app, which included seeing the location and device battery level, the iOS and Android apps were buggy at best. Testing it on our iPhone, we noticed that the GPS tracking was very off and there were no alerts when the device’s battery was low. Other customers seem to agree with us, as the app has a 2.9-star rating (out of 5) on the Apple App Store and a 1.9-star rating (out of 5) on Google Play. For a better app, check out Aloe Care Health’s, rated at 3.8 and 3.5, respectively.

Though the app may not be the friendliest to users, the SOS Mobile is both functional and affordable, in or outside of the home. To learn more about our experience with this system, read our full Bay Alarm Medical review.

Of all the devices we tested, Medical Guardian had the fastest response times, averaging eight seconds across our test calls. Additionally, Medical Guardian offers comprehensive tracking through the MyGuardian app, so you’ll be able to see exactly how your loved one is faring with their device.

Generally, we love the eight-second response time of Medical Guardian, one of the fastest we’ve seen in all of our testing. For blind people, we recommend the MGMini Lite, a mobile medical alert with a battery life of up to three days. Not only does it track the user’s location, but it also tracks their steps and activity levels, allowing for a more comprehensive check-in from caregivers. The MGMini Lite is water-resistant — with an IP rating of 67. That rating means users can wear it in the shower, and the device will remain fully functional. Because it takes only three hours to charge, you’ll be able to wear it for days on end without needing to take it off.

>>Read more: MGMini Lite Review

While fall detection is not included with the MGMini Lite, we like that it’s available as an add-on for $10 more per month, which is standard across the industry. While we wish fall detection was included, like with the Kanega Watch, some systems would require a separate device for fall detection, like with MobileHelp Duo. That’s not the case for the MGMini Lite, which has fall detection built into the device. That feature is important for blind users in particular, as they may have trouble finding the button in the event of a fall.

The MGMini Lite costs $149.95, and the monthly fee is $46.95. If you added fall detection, those prices would go up to $56.95 per month, which is higher than average for a mobile system.

>>Read more: Medical Guardian Pricing Guide

While the three-day battery life of the MGMini Lite is impressive, it’s about half of the battery life of the Kanega Watch, which lasts a whopping six days. Plus, we wish fall detection was included in the price, as it is with the Kanega Watch.

The MGMini Lite is an affordable and subtle way to stay safe, no matter where you are. We recommend springing for fall detection, as it could be life-saving for a blind user.

To learn more about this company, read our full Medical Guardian review.

Aloe Care offers three medical alert systems with both home and on-the-go devices. But no matter which system you choose, you won’t have to commit for long, as all contracts are month-to-month.

We like the medical alert systems from Aloe Care due to its excellent customer service, response time of only eight seconds, and intuitive caregiver features. While there are three packages available, Essentials, the Mobile Companion 2, and Essentials Plus, we recommend Essentials, which consists of a smart home hub and a care button, which we wore as a bracelet.

Note that this system works only within the home, so you may want to pair it with a mobile medical alert system if the user wants protection while they’re out and about. However, within the home, the hub works with the bracelet, which has a range of 200 feet. The battery life on the bracelet is the longest we’ve ever seen at three years, but of course, that’s easier with this short of range. Still, the system provides protection within the home, and the hub can also sense temperature, air quality, and motion. While the system does not have fall detection, you can check in on the user via the Aloe Care Health app. For example, if you see that their apartment is at 90 degrees and that they haven’t moved all day, there may be an issue.

We paid $199 for the Essentials package and an additional $39.99 per month for emergency help and app usage. The other two packages, the Mobile Companion 2 and the Essentials Plus, cost $44.99 and $59.99 per month, respectively. These monthly prices are average, and all contracts were monthly, allowing for some flexibility.

Fall detection isn’t an option with the Essentials package. However, if that’s something you definitely want in your medical alert system, you’ll have to spring for the more expensive Mobile Companion 2 or the Essentials Plus, which cost $149.99 and $349.99, respectively. Additionally, the Essentials package is not covered by a warranty, which is very unusual.

If you’re looking for protection within the home only, the Essentials package is an affordable way to get there, with mobile tracking through the Aloe Care Health app.

With three at-home systems, two portable systems, and three bundles, there’s a lot to choose from when you’re shopping at MobileHelp. Best of all, its systems start at $19.99 per month.

One of the reasons we like MobileHelp as a company is because of the MobileHelp Connect app. Using this app, caregivers can see not only the device’s location, battery level, and system status, but also how active the user was on a certain day. Beyond that, they can set medication reminders and make updates in the app directly. Medication management is one of many hurdles that blind people face, according to the American Foundation for the Blind, so having automated reminders could be a huge help.

Although MobileHelp isn’t short on options (unlike Kanega, whose Kanega Watch is the company’s only offering), we recommend the MobileHelp Duo for blind users. Why? Because it includes both an in-home base unit, a mobile unit, and a waterproof help button — all for free. Of course, we paid a monthly fee, but you can’t get much better than free equipment. Since we saved so much money on equipment, we added a fall detection button for $11 per month. It would be nice if fall detection didn’t require a separate device, but considering how much we saved, we weren’t too mad about it, nor were we ever short on devices.

Like we said, we didn’t pay anything upfront for the MobileHelp equipment. Rather, we paid anywhere from $41.95 to $46.95 per month for the monitoring and cellular network that kept us connected to the monitoring center, plus $11 more per month for the fall detection button. Contracts are either monthly, quarterly, semiannual, or annual, and the prices go down the longer commitment you make. There are no activation fees, making MobileHelp a decidedly affordable option.

>>Read more: MobileHelp Pricing Guide

While we had few issues with the Android MobileHelp Connect app, the iOS app left much to be desired. We found that the app was basically a poorly formatted version of the website, with words cut off and pages cut in half. To access the caregiver tracking, we preferred to use the website, which wasn’t a great experience on mobile. And with a 1.5-star rating in the Apple App Store, we weren’t alone in our disappointment.

For protection at home, outside of the home, and even in the shower, MobileHelp offers a variety of options with completely free equipment.

To learn more about our experience with this brand, read our full MobileHelp review.

Many seniors want to hide the fact that they are wearing a medical alert device; one solution to that problem is a smartwatch. Meet the Kanega Watch from UnaliWear, the company’s sole offering, which has fall detection built in and is included in the price.

The Kanega Watch is a durable, waterproof watch that we could wear anywhere, both in and out of the shower. With four rechargeable batteries included, we didn’t have to spend any time without our watch on. Rather, we could just swap the battery out and put in a new one. The package also comes with two chargers, ensuring that we never run out of juice.

One of the features of the Kanega Watch that makes it stand out the most is the fact that fall detection is included in the monthly cost. When we tested out the watch and tripped on the sidewalk, the watch asked us if it detected a fall. Even if we didn’t answer, someone at the monitoring center would have been alerted and dispatched emergency services. And what’s cool about the fall detection on the Kanega Watch is its lack of false alerts. According to UnaliWear, the company collects data from actual falls from all of its watches. The more data it has, the more accurate the patented software is, reducing false alerts. So, the next time you sit down fast in a chair, you won’t have to hear an annoying voice asking if you need help.

Technically, like the MobileHelp Duo, the Kanega Watch does not require any equipment fees. However, while MobileHelp doesn’t charge any activation fees, UnaliWear charges either $199 if you commit for a year or $299 if you commit for a month. Beyond that, the annual subscription breaks down to $59.95 per month, or a one-time payment of $719.40, while the monthly option is $69.95. These are the highest monthly and activation fees of any device on this list by a pretty wide margin. But there is a small silver lining: AARP members and veterans get one month free.

The main drawback of the Kanega Watch is mainly its high monthly and activation fees. Additionally, we wish UnaliWear offered more products than just the Kanega Watch, such as a medical alert pendant or an in-home unit. However, this is to be expected from a company that started from a Kickstarter in 2015. Hopefully, the company will expand its offerings to rival more established companies like Medical Guardian and MobileHelp.

If you want the more accurate fall detection strapped to your wrist at all times, the Kanega Watch is worth the money. To learn more about our experience with this system, read our full Kanega Watch review.