4 Reasons You Shouldn’t Buy Life Alert

1. Life Alert response times are slow.

At their core, Life Alert and other medical alert systems allow users to quickly place calls to emergency personnel. Because a Life Alert system would most likely be used in an emergency, you’ll want to connect with help as quickly as possible.

Unfortunately, in our experience, we found ourselves waiting upwards of two minutes to be connected to help during our test calls. With any medical alert device, response times will vary, but anything longer than one minute may severely increase the risk of danger for the user.

In the video below, you can watch our test call wait times.

What You Should Buy Instead

At TheSeniorList.com, we’ve tested hundreds of medical alert systems, and the vast majority of them have faster response times than Life Alert. However, one system reliably had the most rapid call response times.

In our tests, the people behind Lively Mobile Plus consistently answered our test calls in under 20 seconds, coming in at an average response time of 13 seconds.

2. Life Alert costs twice as much as comparable medical alerts.

Life Alert costs start at $49.95 per month for their basic in-home system. This includes a standard speakerphone base unit as well as a wearable help button. Compare this to similar systems from Bay Alarm Medical and Medical Alert that cost under $20 per month.

In terms of other systems, Life Alert also offers a wall-mounted help button for $20 per month. This water-resistant device can be placed on a bedside table or even a shower wall, and its built-in speakerphone can give you quick access to help. Additionally, Life Alert offers a mobile medical alert for $20 per month.

The caveat with these two systems is that they cannot be purchased by themselves. Instead, you’ll have to purchase the Life Alert in-home system and add on either one or both of these two devices, bringing your monthly cost up to between $69.95 and $89.95 per month.

What You Should Buy Instead

Quality aside, pretty much any medical alert system will be cheaper than Life Alert; however, if you’re looking for an affordable alternative that can give you protection both in and out of the house, then I’d recommend choosing a system from MobileHelp.

The MobileHelp Duo system includes an in-home system, a medical alert with GPS, and an optional wall-mounted help button. In total, this system will cost you $44.90 per month, roughly half the cost of a comparable system from Life Alert.

3. Life Alert locks you into a three-year contract.

While many medical alert devices allow you to pay on a discounted yearly or semiannual basis, Life Alert is the only company that requires users to sign a three-year service agreement. So on top of paying a higher monthly price, you’ll also have to pay it for years to come.

There are two circumstances in which a person can exit their Life Alert contract: death or transition to round-the-clock care. Keep in mind, however, that these two circumstances won’t get you a refund; rather, they’ll simply allow you to stop making payments.

What You Should Buy Instead

In my experience, medical alert systems are not an ideal fit for everyone. Some people refuse to wear their help buttons, while others simply don’t like the idea of having a speakerphone in their living room. Because of this, I always recommend choosing a medical alert provider that doesn’t require a long-term contract. This way, if you find the equipment isn’t a good fit for your loved one, you can always return it with little fuss.

4. Life Alert lacks advanced features.

Technically speaking, it’s hard to knock the quality of Life Alert’s equipment. In our month of testing, we found the speakerphone was loud, the help buttons were waterproof, and the mobile unit’s batteries never needed recharging. Despite this, Life Alert doesn’t offer some of the more advanced features that have started to appear in systems from competitors.

Fall detection, a feature that automatically senses when a user falls and contacts help, is available from nearly every medical alert company, yet you won’t find it on Life Alert.

Additionally, many companies have also introduced smartphone apps for their medical alerts. Using these apps, a caregiver can be notified when a user makes a distress call. Some apps, like those from Aloe Care Health, can even allow a person to call a user’s system directly, a helpful feature for checking on your loved ones.

What You Should Buy Instead

If you’re looking for a medical alert system with advanced features, then Aloe Care Health is the option for you. Their wall-mounted fall sensor can automatically detect when a user falls, and the user doesn’t have to be wearing a help button. With Aloe Care Systems, users can also place emergency calls by using voice commands, as opposed to pressing a button.

With the Aloe Care Health app, caregivers can also keep track of their loved ones in a noninvasive fashion. The base unit reports motion as well as the home’s temperature. Additionally, Aloe Care Health is the only medical alert system that allows both users and caregivers to make direct calls between a smartphone and a base unit, allowing for easy communication for non-emergency situations.

Bottom Line

There’s no denying that Life Alert can help protect older adults in their homes, but there are cheaper, faster, and more advanced options that can do just as good of a job (if not better) at keeping your loved ones safe.

And if you want to avoid monthly fees altogether, be sure to check out our rundown of the best no-fee medical alerts.