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July 19, 2021
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See PricingEver since Life Alert’s commercials featured the famous line, “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up,” medical alerts have been associated with getting help after a fall. It’s common knowledge that falling is a serious risk for older adults. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, an older adult suffers a fall in the U.S. every second.
It’s important that medical alert devices include automatic fall detection. People are often unable to press their help button after a fall, but automatic fall detection can sense when they’ve fallen and immediately contact the monitoring center for assistance.
Fall detection works the same way as airbag deployment in a car. Through a combination of accelerometers, sensors, and algorithms, an equipped help button senses when you fall down. It’s also the same accelerometer technology that allows your smartphone to adjust the picture accordingly when you rotate the screen.
Once the unit detects a fall, it sends an automatic signal to the call center. This is of paramount importance. Even if you’re unconscious, injured, or too confused to press the button, help is still contacted.
| Companies evaluated | 24 |
| Hours of research | 50+ |
| Hours of product testing | 240+ |
| Ranking criteria | 6 |
| Finalists chosen | 4 |
To choose the best medical alert with fall detection, we tested and evaluated companies on multiple criteria.
Bay Alarm Medical alert systems are among our favorites overall, and their fall detection performed exceptionally well in our tests. It was the only fall-detection pendant not to trigger a false alarm from crouching or dropping the device.
Water-resistant: Yes
Integrated pendant: Bay Alarm Medical requires an additional button to enable fall-detection functionality.
Cost: The in-home landline system starts at $21.95 monthly, and the cellular system starts at $24.95 monthly. The on-the-go system starts at $24.95 monthly, and voice-in starts at $42.95 monthly.
Cost to add fall detection: $10 a month
Contracts: Month to month
Equipment or setup fees: None
Our verdict: Bay Alarm Medical has long been one of my favorite medical alert providers. With a combination of accurate fall detection and affordable yet advanced equipment, Bay Alarm Medical is your best choice for fall-detection devices.
To learn more about this company, read my hands-on Bay Alarm Medical review.
Medical Guardian features one of the widest varieties of at-home and mobile alert systems. No matter your needs, there is a Medical Guardian option to suit them. For fall detection, we were most impressed by the Active Guardian, a mobile, GPS medical alert that has fall detection built in with no extra buttons required.
Water-resistant: Yes
Integrated pendant: Yes, for the Active Guardian. All other mobile and at-home options are worn as a separate unit, and fall detection is not available on the Freedom Guardian watch.
Cost: The Classic system starts at $29.95 monthly, Home starts at $34.95 monthly, and Family starts at $79.95 monthly. For on-the-go options, Mobile starts at $39.95 monthly and Active starts at $49.95 monthly.
Cost to add fall detection: $10 a month
Contracts: Month to month
Equipment or setup fees: None
Our verdict: Based on our tests, Medical Guardian offers a robust range of products and fall detection you can trust. It is our choice for the best mobile medical alert with fall detection. To learn more about the company, read my Medical Guardian analysis and Active Guardian review.
LifeFone has a long history of providing quality medical alerts backed by top-notch customer service. The company offers a wide range of options for any lifestyle, including an at-home landline option that travels with you wherever you go. Simply take it with you and plug it into the landline at your new location, whether you’re on vacation, visiting family, or moving to a new home. You can choose from the in-home landline or cellular options, the on-the-go mobile device with a wristband or pendant, or a voice-in mobile device that has everything in one pendant.
Water-resistant: Yes
Integrated pendant: The voice-in mobile option is integrated, but the on-the-go mobile option and both at-home options come with a separate fall-detection pendant.
Cost: The in-home landline system starts at $24.95 per month and cellular starts at $30.95 monthly. The on-the-go system starts at $36.95 monthly, and voice-in starts at $42.95 monthly.
Cost to add fall detection: LifeFone prices its fall detection at $5 per month, the most affordable we’ve seen.
Contracts: Month to month
Equipment or setup fees: None
Our verdict: LifeFone provides reliable, high-quality equipment with lots of options, good customer service, and competitive pricing. Whatever you need from your fall-detection medical alert system, LifeFone has one for you.
To learn more about the company, read my hands-on review of LifeFone.
Aloe Care Health devices take a different approach to fall detection. In addition to its Mobile Companion, which features built-in fall detection, it offers a fall-detection button that can be mounted to your bathroom wall. By digitally mapping your bathroom’s layout, it can accurately detect when you fall. The system can also use voice commands in the event of a false alarm.
Water-resistant: Yes
Integrated pendant: Mobile Companion has integrated fall detection, but the other systems require the wall-mounted fall-detection feature, which operated with a high level of accuracy in our tests.
Cost: Mobile Companion costs $24.99 per month. Aloe Care Essentials goes for $29.99 per month, and the Essentials Plus and Total Care packages cost $39.99 per month and $49.99 per month, respectively.
Cost to add fall detection: Aloe Care Health does not charge an additional fee for fall detection; the feature is included with each of its systems.
Contracts: Month to month
Equipment or setup fees: $99 to $299, depending on the system
Our verdict: With its multipronged approach to fall detection, Aloe Care Health offers reliable fall safety both in the home and on the go. This, combined with its handy voice commands, makes the company one of the best options for fall detection.
To learn more about Aloe Care Health, read my full Aloe Care Health review.
Pro Tip: To learn more about this unique type of medical alert system, check out my pick for the best voice-activated medical alert system.
One concern we hear a lot regarding fall detection is that the pendants can send out false alarms.
To be completely transparent: Yes, this is a genuine issue. No fall-detection system is perfect, and from time to time the sensors may mistake an ordinary movement — such as bending forward or getting into bed — for a fall and send out an alarm. If it happens, however, you can simply press the button on your base station or pendant to contact the call center and let them know there’s no problem.
On the flip side, most systems are set not to send out an alarm if they detect movement after a fall. This is to prevent false signals — the system assumes if you can move, then you can press your alarm. It’s a good idea to press your help button after a fall to make sure help is coming.
Fall-detection systems aren’t perfect, but we firmly believe they are worth the investment — especially for older adults who are particularly at risk of falls, such as people with balance issues, unsteadiness on their feet, or a history of falls.
It’s far better to risk the occasional false alarm than be left without a way to get help after a fall. Medical alert companies are well aware of the potential for false alarms, so they’re prepared for them to happen.
