2026 Medical Alert Device Usage Report
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June 2, 2026
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Key Findings
- Adoption is flat. Nine percent of U.S. adults aged 65 and older currently use a medical alert system or personal emergency response system (PERS), the same share as in 2023, despite growing awareness and improved technology.
- Falls are alarmingly common. Forty-four percent of adults 65 and older report having had an accidental fall since turning 65, and more than 1 in 10 of those who fell required emergency services.
- Even falling isn't enough to drive adoption. The leading trigger for getting a device is a fall or health scare, yet the majority of seniors who have fallen still don't own a device, exposing a stubborn post-fall behavior gap.
- Most users don't wear their device consistently. Only 18% of current users wear or carry their device at all times; 64% report not wearing it in the shower, one of the highest-risk environments for falls.
- Apple Watch tops the brand list again, but seniors' “smartwatch substitution” raises an open question: are consumers trading clinical reliability for aesthetic appeal?
- Adult children are key customers, but only 26% have had the conversation with their parent, and purchase intent among this group has dropped from 39% (2023) to 22% (2026).
The Paradox at the Heart of Aging in Place
America's population of adults 65 and older is the largest it has ever been, and it’s still growing. Yet a quiet paradox persists at the intersection of aging, technology, and independence: the people who most want to remain in their homes are still largely rejecting the tool most likely to help them do so: medical alert systems.
Two years after TheSeniorList.com published its first major study on medical alert system adoption, the needle has barely moved. This new survey of 2,695 Americans, including seniors and their adult children, finds that adoption remains at nine percent, fall rates are climbing, and a new generation of AI-powered, watch-style devices hasn't yet closed the gap between awareness and action.
The category has every reason to be growing. The senior population is growing in the U.S. Wearable technology is getting sleeker and smaller. Even select Medicare Advantage plans now include PERS as a supplemental benefit. But despite all of this, dedicated use of medical alert systems among the people who need them most has not budged.
1 in 10 Older Adults Relies on a Medical Alert System, and That Hasn't Changed
Despite nearly three years of innovation, including AI fall detection, Apple Watch integration, and Medicare Advantage and VA coverage, the share of older Americans relying on a dedicated personal emergency response system has not budged. It’s still about one in ten, the same rate as in our 2023 study.
Medical Alert System Ownership Among Adults 65 and Older
| Do you own a medical alert device? | 2023 | 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 9% | 9% |
| No | 91% | 91% |
Source: TheSeniorList.com surveys
This stagnation is striking because the conditions for growth are better than ever. Devices no longer look like medical equipment. Monitoring plans are increasingly covered by insurance, and awareness of the category is high. And yet the majority continues to go without: a group whose top stated reasons for skipping a device remain remarkably consistent over two years.
When asked directly why they don't have a device, non-users' responses point consistently to denial and identity, not logistics or cost.
Top Reasons for Not Using Medical Alert Devices
| Why don’t you currently have a medical alert device? | Percent of non-users |
|---|---|
| I don’t have any health concerns | 49% |
| I live with others or am not often alone | 36% |
| I don’t feel old enough | 32% |
| Cost | 23% |
| I have privacy concerns | 6% |
| I’m worried about false alarms | 5% |
| The devices are ugly or don't look good | 3% |
| The devices are too complicated | 2% |
Source: TheSeniorList.com survey. Multiple responses allowed.
“No health concerns,” “not often alone,” and “don't feel old enough” are the main reasons older people don’t use a medical alert device. Cost, the first concrete barrier, ranks fourth at 23 percent. The implication for messaging is significant: manufacturers who lead with device features or affordability will not reach the majority of non-users where they actually are.
Clinicians who work with older adults say they see this dynamic play out regularly. “A shift in one's identity is a significant reason someone might resist using a medical alert device,” says Dr. Wilfred van Gorp, a board-certified neuropsychologist and director of Cognitive Assessment Group. “Data shows that cognitively unimpaired adults turn down alerts recommended by their doctors at an unusually high rate because of their pride rather than due to confusion.”
Stephen Huber, president of Home Care Providers, frames it similarly: “Dignity usually plays a larger role in determining whether or not individuals will participate in this type of program versus what features it contains.”
So what would persuade non-users to adopt a medical alert device? The survey asked non-users exactly that, and their answers reveal a market that is largely waiting for a triggering event rather than proactively evaluating options.
Factors That Would Make Non-Users More Likely to Get a Medical Alert Device
| What would make you more likely to get a medical alert device in the future? | Percent of non-users |
|---|---|
| If my health or mobility declined | 74% |
| If I experienced a fall or medical emergency | 53% |
| If my doctor or healthcare provider recommended it | 53% |
| If my insurance covered the device or monitoring | 48% |
| If there were no monthly fees | 35% |
| If I wanted more peace of mind or to feel safer | 30% |
| If the cost were lower | 22% |
| If a caregiver or family member encouraged me to | 21% |
| If a family member or friend recommended it | 15% |
| If the device were more comfortable or discreet to wear | 9% |
| If it had better features (e.g., fall detection, GPS) | 9% |
| If I trusted the company or brand more | 6% |
| If the device were easier to use | 5% |
| Nothing would make me consider getting one | 3% |
Source: TheSeniorList.com survey. Multiple responses allowed.
The path to adoption for the majority of non-users starts with a medical event or a new coverage benefit, not with better marketing or more features. Seventy-four percent of non-users say declining health or mobility would move them to purchase a medical alert device. Half would act after a fall or emergency, and roughly half would act if their insurance covered the cost.
The insurance angle is particularly important: cost ranks as the fourth most cited barrier, yet nearly half of non-users say insurance coverage would change their decision. This points to a knowledge gap, not just a price problem. Original Medicare does not cover medical alert systems, but select Medicare Advantage plans now offer PERS as a supplemental benefit. For veterans, PERS devices may be available through the VA at no cost if they meet certain medical criteria.
44 Percent of Older Adults Have Had a Fall, But Most Still Don't Have a Device
The abstract case for medical alert devices collides with a concrete reality: nearly half of adults 65 and older have already fallen. The survey finds that 44 percent of respondents have experienced an accidental fall since turning 65, with women falling at an even higher rate.
Fall Incidence Among Adults 65+ Since Turning 65, by Gender
| Gender | Percent who’ve had an accidental fall |
|---|---|
| Women | 48% |
| Men | 38% |
| All adults | 44% |
Source: TheSeniorList.com survey
Falls in this age group are not simply embarrassing stumbles. They can lead to broken bones, long stays in rehabilitation centers, and frequently require outside help to recover. Among those who reported a fall, the data show just how often they were left waiting for assistance.
| The last time you had an accidental fall, did you need to get help from someone? | Percent of fall victims |
|---|---|
| No | 59% |
| Yes, a friend or relative helped me | 30% |
| Yes, emergency services helped me | 11% |
Source: TheSeniorList.com survey
Nearly a third of those who fell needed another person's help to get up, and 11 percent required emergency services. The injuries sustained tell a similar story: while many falls result in no injury or minor injury, a meaningful share are genuinely serious. In fact, six percent of people with recent falls had to wait over an hour for help to arrive.
Injuries Sustained in Most Recent Fall
| Which of the following options best describes the injuries you sustained from your latest fall? | Percent of fall victims |
|---|---|
| No injuries | 26% |
| Minor injuries (did not require medical attention) | 40% |
| Moderate injuries (required basic medical care or OTC treatment) | 17% |
| Severe injuries (required professional medical treatment or hospital visit) | 15% |
| Critical injuries (required hospitalization or had significant long-term consequences) | 2% |
Source: TheSeniorList.com survey
More than 15 percent of fallers sustained injuries serious enough to require professional medical treatment. These are not minor incidents. Falls are, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the leading cause of injury-related death among adults 65 and older, with the age-adjusted fall death rate climbing 21 percent from 64.7 per 100,000 in 2018 to 78.4 per 100,000 in 2024.
Since 44 percent of our survey's respondents have fallen, and only nine percent own a medical alert device, it’s reasonable to assume that a large share of people who have already experienced a fall are still going without a device.
Dr. van Gorp sees the cost of that delay in his clinical work. “Individuals who begin to use monitoring devices within six months after their first fall will have a much better outcome than those who wait until their second or third fall,” he says. “Most individuals wait for the next significant scare before they begin to consider using a monitoring device, and by then they have missed the opportunity to prevent another fall.”
Most Popular Brands in the Medical Alert Market
For the second consecutive survey cycle, Apple Watch ranks as the most commonly used medical alert device among older adults, ahead of every dedicated PERS brand. The full brand ranking reveals a market where a consumer tech product leads a category built around clinical emergency response.
Most Popular Medical Alert Devices and Brands Among Current Users
| Rank | Device/Brand |
|---|---|
| 1 | Apple Watch |
| 2 | Life Alert |
| 3 | LifeFone |
| 4 | LifeStation |
| 5 | Lively |
| 6 | Medical Guardian |
| 7 | MedicalAlert.com |
| 8 | MobileHelp |
Source: TheSeniorList.com survey
Apple Watch's continued hold on the top position is a remarkable finding, and a complicated one. The device's dominance reflects real consumer preferences: it doesn't look medical, integrates with existing devices, and carries social cachet that a pendant button simply cannot match. For the 32 percent of non-users who say they don't feel old enough for a medical alert device, a device that doubles as a fitness tracker and smartwatch is a far easier psychological purchase.
But the features that current device owners actually prioritize tell a different story, one that points to a potential mismatch between the Apple Watch's consumer positioning and what users say they need most.
Most Important Medical Alert Features, Ranked by Current Users
| Rank | Feature |
|---|---|
| 1 | Emergency monitoring (contacts someone when the button is pressed or the alarm is triggered) |
| 2 | Fall detection |
| 3 | GPS |
| 4 | Health monitoring (tracks heart rate, activity, vitals) |
| 5 | Two-way talk |
| 6 | In-home range |
| 7 | Voice assistant |
| 8 | AI fall detection |
Source: TheSeniorList.com survey
Apple Watch is not a clinical PERS device. Their fall detection is a consumer feature, not a monitored emergency response system. Most Apple Watch users are not connected to a 24/7 monitoring center, which is the most prioritized feature among device owners in this survey. There is likely a meaningful segment of Apple Watch users who believe they're protected in a fall scenario but haven't set up Emergency SOS, tested fall detection, or established contacts to notify in case of a fall.
Device satisfaction data adds nuance. Nine in 10 users report being satisfied overall with their medical alert devices, but only about half are satisfied with the accuracy of their fall detection. Nearly half of users reported having experienced a false alarm. As evidenced by the testimony of one user, alarms can be quite sensitive and lead to a range of responses: “My cats have triggered the alarm by walking across it. Most times I have been able to catch it and ensure the monitoring service that I am okay,” the survey respondent shared. “But once, they triggered it while I was not at home, and once when I was just outside. Both times, there was an emergency response visit from paramedics.”
Who Gets Contacted When Users Press Their Alert
| When you press your medical alert button, who is contacted first? | Percentage of users |
|---|---|
| A 24/7 monitoring center/operator | 44% |
| 911 center | 36% |
| A family member or friend | 32% |
| I'm not sure | 8% |
Source: TheSeniorList.com survey. Multiple responses allowed.
Eight percent of device owners don't know who gets contacted when they press their button. That isn't a technology problem; it's a usage and onboarding problem. Device adoption, even among current users, may not translate reliably into actual safety coverage.
How People Choose a Device, and What Drives Their Decision
For the minority of older adults who reach the purchase stage, the factors that matter most are functional rather than aesthetic. Emergency monitoring, fall detection, and health monitoring lead the list, while discreet design, often cited as a key appeal of smartwatch-style devices, ranks at the bottom.
Most Important Factors When Selecting a Medical Alert Device
| When selecting your medical alert device, which of the following were most important to you? | Percentage of users |
|---|---|
| Emergency monitoring | 26% |
| Fall detection | 26% |
| Health monitoring | 25% |
| Device pricing | 11% |
| GPS-enabled | 11% |
| Response time | 11% |
| Health insurance coverage | 10% |
| Two-way talk | 9% |
| Device battery life | 8% |
| In-home range | 8% |
| AI fall detection | 7% |
| U.S.-based monitoring | 7% |
| Voice assistant | 6% |
| Discreet design | 2% |
Source: TheSeniorList.com survey. Up to three selections allowed.
The top three purchasing priorities are all functional, not aesthetic. Discreet design ranks last. This suggests that when buyers reach the purchase stage, they're primarily motivated by utility. The challenge for the market is that most potential buyers never reach that stage.
Once they decide to buy, how do they actually find and evaluate their options? The research sources they turn to reveal an important opportunity for healthcare providers, and a meaningful gap in self-directed research.
Key Information Sources for Medical Alert Device Purchases
| Where did you actually research or compare medical alert devices for your most recent purchase? | Percentage of users |
|---|---|
| Talked to a doctor or healthcare provider | 20% |
| Internet search (Google, Bing, etc.) | 17% |
| I did not research | 16% |
| Talked to family or friends | 14% |
| Insurance provider or Medicare plan resources | 11% |
| Online reviews (Consumer Reports, review sites, forums) | 11% |
| Company websites (e.g., Life Alert, Medical Guardian) | 11% |
| Visited a store (pharmacy, Walmart, Costco, etc.) | 8% |
| AI search (ChatGPT, voice assistant, etc.) | 5% |
| Social media (Facebook, etc.) | 3% |
| YouTube or video reviews | 3% |
| Spoke with a sales representative | 2% |
| Talked to a caregiver | 2% |
Source: TheSeniorList.com survey. Up to three selections allowed.
Sixteen percent of buyers did no research at all before purchasing, a significant share of the market, making a recurring-subscription safety commitment without comparing options. Doctors rank as an information source at 20 percent, yet only a fraction of that guidance translates into a final device recommendation. That disconnect is worth examining alongside the question of who ultimately makes the call.
| Who picked out your current medical alert device? | Percent of users, 2023 | Percent of users, 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| I picked it myself | 53% | 56% |
| A caregiver or doctor | 12% | 14% |
| My child or children | 9% | 11% |
| My spouse | 9% | 2% |
| A friend or neighbor | — | 1% |
Source: TheSeniorList.com surveys
The role of healthcare providers deserves attention. Doctors are the most commonly cited research source (20 percent), and physician recommendations rank as the second most powerful trigger for non-users to consider a device (tied with experiencing a fall at 53 percent). Yet only 14 percent of users say a caregiver or doctor had primary input in selecting their device. This suggests that while physicians are a key information source, they're not yet playing a decisive role in guiding device selection, a gap that could be closed through more structured clinical referral pathways.
The qualitative data paints a similarly varied picture of how people end up with a device. The top reasons users gave for first starting to use a medical alert system include a recent fall, emergency, or health scare; a doctor or healthcare provider recommendation; planning for safety and peace of mind; a friend or family member recommendation; and ongoing health concerns or declining mobility. Emotionally, the adoption stories range from proactive planning (“I live 1,000+ miles from my family, it was a prudent thing to do”) to reactive crisis (“I broke my hip and couldn't get help”) to passive acceptance (“it was included on my watch”). The diversity of adoption pathways underscores that no single message or channel will reach the full potential market.
Once a device is purchased, the next question is whether users actually wear it. The answer, in many cases, is no.
Inconsistent Medical Alert Device Use is Common
| When do you usually not wear or carry your medical alert device? | Percentage of users |
|---|---|
| While showering/bathing | 64% |
| While sleeping | 39% |
| When at home | 11% |
| When outside the home | 11% |
| I wear/carry it all the time | 18% |
Source: TheSeniorList.com survey. Multiple responses allowed.
Only 18 percent of users wear their device at all times. Sixty-four percent remove it while showering, and the bathroom is one of the most common fall locations. Thirty-nine percent don't wear it while sleeping. For a device whose entire value proposition is “help when you need it,” non-wear during high-risk moments is a meaningful functional gap.
Open-text responses from current users point to what would help to close that gap. Though a large share said they wouldn't change anything about their current device, others had practical suggestions. The most common requests were smarter fall detection with fewer false positives, longer battery life to enable overnight wear, and smaller or more discreet designs with flexible wear options (such as wrist, pendant, or clip). Water resistance came up repeatedly, which is notable given how many users remove their devices in the shower. Less frequently, users said they’d like expanded health monitoring, a wider connectivity range, two-way voice communication through the device, and easier self-testing without triggering a real alert.
Adult Children Are Key Customers for Medical Alert Systems
Adult children of parents aged 65 and older represent one of the medical alert market's most motivated buyer segments. They face significant safety concerns, conduct much of the research, and often end up purchasing on their parents’ behalf. But the 2026 data reveals a troubling gap between concern and action, as well as a meaningful drop in purchase intent compared to two years ago.
Adult Children's Concerns About Their Parents’ Safety, by Living Situation
| How concerned are you about your parent’s safety in their home or residence? | Parent lives alone | Parent lives with spouse/family | All respondents |
|---|---|---|---|
| Extremely concerned | 10% | 7% | 8% |
| Very concerned | 16% | 7% | 10% |
| Moderately concerned | 29% | 19% | 22% |
| Slightly concerned | 25% | 31% | 29% |
| Not at all concerned | 19% | 36% | 31% |
Source: TheSeniorList.com survey
Concern for parents' safety is highest when the parent lives alone. More than half of adult children with a parent who lives alone describe themselves as at least moderately concerned. Despite this level of concern, the translation into conversation, let alone purchase, remains limited. Less than a third of adult children (26 percent) have even raised the topic with their parents.
The intent numbers are meaningful. Twenty-two percent of adult children say they're likely to purchase a device for their parent in the next year, and among seniors themselves, nine percent say they're likely to buy one for their own use.
Medical Alert Device Purchase Intent
Among Adult Children of Older People and People Age 65+
| How likely are you to purchase a medical alert device within the next 12 months? | Percent of adults with parents age 65+ | Percent age of non-medical alert device users age 65+ |
|---|---|---|
| Very likely or likely | 22% | 9% |
| Neither likely nor unlikely | 22% | 27% |
| Unlikely or very unlikely | 56% | 64% |
Source: TheSeniorList.com survey
Together, these two groups represent a significant share of near-term demand. But the data also makes clear that the conversation itself is still rare: only 26 percent of adult children report having discussed medical alert devices with their parents at all, and 34 percent of adult children whose parents already have a device say they were the ones who picked it out.
For adult children ready to have that conversation, how it's approached matters as much as whether it happens. A few principles tend to make it go better:
- Choose the right moment. Approach the topic when your parent is relaxed and receptive, not in the middle of a stressful situation or immediately after a fall, when defenses are highest.
- Involve your parent in the decision. Let them share their preferences on features, form factor, and brand. A collaborative approach preserves their sense of control and autonomy, which is often the very thing they're worried about losing.
- Highlight the benefits. Frame the device as a tool for independence, not a symbol of decline. Sharing stories of people who credit their devices with helping them stay in their homes longer can be more persuasive than safety statistics.
- Discuss their concerns openly. Address misconceptions about false alarms, privacy, or cost directly. Understanding what specifically worries them lets you tailor the conversation rather than offering generic reassurance.
- Respect their decision. If your parent isn't ready, don't force it. Continue to offer support and revisit the conversation periodically — most people come around on their own timeline, often after a health event makes the need concrete.
Methodology and Data
The 2026 Medical Alert Systems Consumer Survey was conducted as a two-part online survey of 2,695 U.S. adults. Field dates ran from April 20 to May 5, 2026.
The older adult survey included 909 U.S. adults aged 65 and older, fielded May 4–5, 2026, with a margin of sampling error of ±3.3 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level. The adult child survey included 1,786 U.S. adults with at least one parent aged 65 or older, fielded April 20 to May 4, 2026, with a margin of sampling error of ±2.3 percentage points at the 95 percent confidence level. Both surveys were self-administered online.
The 2026 findings are benchmarked against TheSeniorList.com's 2023 Medical Alert Systems study, fielded October 2023. Repeat questions were worded consistently to enable direct comparison. Some new questions were added for 2026, notably around AI features, smartwatch substitution, and post-purchase experience, and cannot be compared year over year.
Participants were recruited through a reputable online research panel. Only completed surveys from eligible respondents were included in the analysis. No additional weighting procedures were utilized. Margin of error figures reflect sampling precision and should not be interpreted as measures of total survey error.
This is self-reported data: adoption, fall, and satisfaction rates reflect respondent recall and self-assessment, not verified behavior or clinical records. “Medical alert system” was defined broadly to include traditional PERS devices and smartwatch-style devices such as Apple Watch. Online recruitment may underrepresent older, lower-income, or rural seniors with limited internet access.
For media inquiries or to interview members of the research team, contact the TheSeniorList.com editorial team at press@theseniorlist.com.
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