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January 27, 2023
We picked out a few more recommendations worth considering:
| Time Spent Testing | 168 Hours |
|---|---|
| Starting Price | $22.95 per month |
| Contract Minimum | 1 Month |
| Average Response Time | 22 Seconds |
| Customer Service Response Time | 10 Seconds |
One hundred thousand: That’s how many people are protected by One Call Alert. After over two decades in business, you may have seen One Call Alert in your local Walmart, Publix, Rite Aid, or CVS, but it’s also available on the company’s website.
Like most medical alert companies, One Call Alert offers protection both in the home and outside. It also has fall detection, medication reminders, and GPS technology. But how do its products perform? To find out whether One Call Alert is trustworthy, I tested its Complete Protection system. Let’s dive in.
Pro Tip: New to the world of personal emergency-response devices? Take a look at my guide to medical alert devices to learn the basics.
Before we get into the nitty-gritty, here are my main takeaways from testing One Call Alert:
I tested only the Complete Protection package, but that’s not all One Call Alert has to offer. I had five options to choose from — some that worked only in my home and some that worked anywhere I went.
FYI: One Call Alert’s mobile systems don’t have the medication-reminders option; this feature can be used only with in-home units.
| Two-Way Talk | Yes |
|---|---|
| Connectivity | Cellular or landline |
| Average Response Time | 26 seconds |
| In-Home Range | 1,400 feet |
| Fall Detection | $10 per month |
| Caregiver Portal | Not available |
Once my Complete Protection package arrived in the mail, I opened the box and found the following:
Setting up my system was easy. I plugged in the base unit and charger, charged my button, and put the help-button pendant around my neck. I also wanted to make sure my system actually worked before I recommended it, so I pressed the button and was pleased to be connected immediately to emergency personnel.
During this part of the installation process, I was prompted to give a list of medications to the monitoring agent. He took down my medications, dosages, and the times of day I’m supposed to use them. This came in handy later.
Did You Know: It can be difficult to administer multiple prescriptions properly. Check out my guide to medication management to learn about some easy tricks to keep track of them all.
I started my One Call Alert system test with the in-home component. I walked around my house, placing emergency calls with my help button. Each time, my calls were answered promptly by a monitoring agent, and I was able to communicate with them using my system’s speakerphone. The speakerphone was so loud and powerful that I could even conduct calls from my porch, several rooms away from where I placed the base station.
Since fall detection is built into the system, I wanted to try that out as well. I climbed to the top of my stairs and threw the necklace pendant down to the lower level. Even without pushing the button, I heard the monitoring center from both the necklace pendant and the base unit.
I took my mobile unit for a walk through town and placed several test calls. Each time, my calls were once again received in under 30 seconds. I was impressed by how my device could connect from anywhere. Even on a brief hike through the woods, this device still had enough signal to make distress calls.
For medication reminders, I received calls on my in-home unit each morning and night. This feature would be very useful for someone prone to forgetting their medication, since it offers a degree of accountability.
In total, I paid $51.95 per month for my Complete Protection system — $41.95 for the system and monitoring, and an additional $10 for fall detection. This is definitely on the pricier side for a medical alert system, but Complete Protection is actually two systems (in-home and mobile) combined into one, making it a pretty good deal in my eyes.
If I paid in advance for a whole year, I would have received a discounted rate of $36.95 per month. Fortunately, for those averse to commitment, One Call Alert does not require you to lock in a long-term contract. Additionally, all of its systems come with a 30-day trial period, during which you may send back your system and receive a full refund.
For more information on the costs of One Call Alert, check out my One Call Alert systems and costs page.
Overall, I was pretty happy with the medical alert system I got from One Call Alert, and I think it would work for most seniors. With affordable pricing, flexible contracts, and a wide array of systems that suit different lifestyles, there are very few things to complain about with One Call Alert.
For these reasons, they’re one of our top picks for this year’s best medical alert system.
One Call Alert offers fall detection on some but not all of its systems. It’s an option for all of its systems except In-Home Landline.
One Call Alert costs around $24.95 to $44.95 a month, depending on which system you get, what contract length you sign up for, and other factors. Fall detection costs an additional $10 a month with some systems, but it’s included with others.
You can sign up for One Call Alert for as little as a month, but the company offers discounts for signing up for three months, six months, or a year. There are no fees if you want to cancel, although you’ll have to pay for shipping costs when you return your system. The company will also provide you with a pro-rated refund if your balance is $15 or more.
You can wear your One Call Alert pendant in the shower! All of its pendants are 100 percent waterproof, so you stay protected in the bathroom.
Some of One Call Alert’s pendants work outside the home, but only if you buy the Mobile On-the-Go, Mobile Double, or Complete Protection packages.
