My mom is almost 90. My dad passed late last year. She's in the house alone. I have a tracking app on her phone. The only flaw is, she needs to remember to bring it with her. I have siblings far away. I'm about 2 hours away. I'm under pressure to get a medical alert in case she falls. Unfortunately, there are many to choose from. I know LifeAlert has the brand name but I've seen many negative reviews. Has anyone tried Mobilehelp or other alert systems? I need something that is quality and no hassles to return when the time comes.
The bad thing is it comes with a design flaw: It has to be worn and my mom is too stubborn to wear it. But any such device needs to be worn.
Before hiring, I called several companies, including those advertising in the AARP publications, as well as ones I researched online. Some asked for my address, with the intention of sending literature. I explained that I had questions, wanted to get service established, and didn't need their literature. I figured if that's their response, it's not the service I want.
The local company provided excellent service, I think in part b/c it had been in the home protection service for years. If my parent just bent over, the device was activated and someone called. I think one of the actions they took when we went to the hospital once was to keep calling until they reached someone, as the monitor activated, but we were on the way to the hospital before I could think about answering.
I would make a list of the companies, what you want in terms of service (i.e., calling your parent for any posture other than standing or sitting, etc.) and then call to interview them and make a determination which ones can be on the short list. Then have a more in depth interview about their specific actions, policies, and advantages.
The company we hired operated in Michigan, as well as some surrounding states. It was Guardian Alarm.
Guardian Medical Monitoring - Medical Alert Systems (URL)