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Bay Alarm’s wide range of equipment options, reliable monitoring, and quick response are the reasons it’s our top picks for diabetics.
Updated June 5, 2025
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There are more than 38 million cases of diabetes in the U.S., and rates are higher among middle-aged and older adults.1 People living with this disease need medical alert systems to manage daily routines and respond to sudden medical emergencies.
After researching and testing over 35 medical alert systems, we narrowed down the top four that can support people with diabetes. Bay Alarm Medical offers the best in-home and on-the-go solutions, with bases that cover up to 1,000 feet and pendant batteries that last up to 72 hours. Let’s go through our top picks to find the best one for your lifestyle.
Our Bay Alarm Medical base unit and pendant have a 1,000 feet range, which is plenty for our home.
Bay Alarm Medical offers systems that are easy for everyone to use, including people with diabetes. The base units cover up to 1,000 feet, pendant batteries last up to 72 hours on a single charge, and fall protection is available with every device. If a diabetes emergency strikes, help is available whether you’re home or out and about.
>> Read More: Bay Alarm Medical 2025 Review
Bay Alarm Medical takes our top spot because it caters to people with diabetes who are homebound and those who stay active. The SOS Home medical alert system features a base unit that connects via landline and cellular networks. You wear the button around your neck or on your wrist. One press of the button and you’re connected to the 24/7 emergency monitoring station.
FYI: The base unit plugs into an outlet but also has a 32-hour backup battery in case there’s a power outage.
The home system also comes with a handy wall button. You can place it in the bathroom or near the stairs. We recommend placing it close to the floor in case you fall. This way you can reach the button and call for help.
Unboxing our Bay Alarm Medical base station.
For on-the-go protection, Bay Alarm Medical has multiple devices available. We tested the All-in-One pendant that hangs around your neck or clips to a belt, and the SOS Micro, which can sit on your wrist like a watch. But if you want a smart watch, Bay Alarm Medical has that too.
All three products have two-way speakers and an SOS button for easy access to the monitoring center. You can also pay an extra $10 per month for fall protection. We recommend adding it. If you have diabetes and regularly get numbness or pain, you won’t need to stress about calling for help during a fall.
| Connectivity | Landline and cellular |
|---|---|
| Fall Detection | $10/month |
| In-home Range | Up to 1,000 feet |
| Battery Backup | Up to 32 hours |
| GPS Option | Yes |
| Money-back Guarantee | 15-day |
Medical Guardian is our pick for people with diabetes who want reliable protection in the form of a smartwatch. The MGMove runs on AT&T networks, has optional fall detection, and has useful apps including Reminders and Messages. It’s currently one of the best medical alert smartwatches.
Medical Guardian offers a similar product range to Bay Alarm Medical. In fact, the MGMove uses the same hardware as Bay Alarm’s SOS Smartwatch. What sets them apart are Medical Guardian’s add-on features.
Medical Guardian’s base pricing doesn’t include fall detection, but you can add it for $10 per month. We think it’s worth the extra cost. During testing, the monitoring center checked on us within 20 seconds of a simulated fall. We chatted with the agent using the two-way speaker and confirmed we were OK.
Our tester checking out the apps on the MGMove smartwatch
Additionally, you can download Social Circle apps onto the watch for an extra $5 per month. We paid for this add-on and got to test the Reminders and Messaging apps. We found the Reminders app particularly handy for those with hypoglycemia and need to take medication or carbs at regular intervals.
FYI: Medical Guardian wearable devices are some of our favorite GPS medical alert systems. Our MGMini uploads hourly location updates. These updates can help caretakers track their loved ones’ movements.
| Connectivity | Landline, cellular, and Wi-fi |
|---|---|
| Fall Detection | $10/month |
| In-home Range | Up to 1,400 feet |
| Battery Backup | Up to 32 hours |
| GPS Option | Yes |
| Money-back Guarantee | None |
Not everyone loves carrying around devices. You might already need to bring blood glucose monitors or insulin pens with you, leaving little pocket space for anything else. Lively can replace your cellular phone with a built-in urgent response button and a GPS, so the emergency team can locate you no matter where you are.
Lively offers a wearable device similar to Medical Guardian’s MGMOve, but we picked them for their mobile phones with accessible design and useful features. The Jitterbug Flip2 is perfect for anyone who’s not tech-savvy. It has a huge screen, large keypad, and big red button for emergencies.
For those who are more techie, we recommend the Jitterbug Smart4. It works similarly to smartphones. We used it to add medical reminders and track our daily fitness activities. It even has brain games on the device to help keep us sharp.
>> Read More: Lively 2025 Review
We think the Jitterbug Smart4 is the best Lively phone for people with diabetes.
Expert Tip: We recommend connecting your phones to Alexa, especially if you’re experiencing vision or hearing loss due to your condition. Instead of tapping through menus, you can use voice commands to make calls, send texts, and access information on your phone.
Regardless of the device you choose, the real value comes from Lively’s plans. Prices range from $14.99 (Basic) to $44.99 (Premium) per month, and all give you access to the 24/7 monitoring center.
We recommend the Premium plan, which includes access to care advocates and on-call nurses. You can ask for medical advice, refill prescriptions, and get suggestions for health and wellness goals. Because many people with diabetes have strict dietary needs, care advocates can offer personalized guidance on nutrition and weight management to support your overall well-being.
| Connectivity | Cellular |
|---|---|
| Fall Detection | Included in some plans |
| In-home Range | N/A |
| Battery Backup | Up to 82 hours |
| GPS Option | Yes |
| Money-back Guarantee | 30-day |
LifeStation offers devices primarily for seniors. Therefore, they are easy to use for many people, including those with diabetes. The equipment is also reliable. LifeStation offers a home medical alert system and two wearables for people who stay active or enjoy getting out and about.
LifeStation made our list because of its TMA Five Diamond certified monitoring center. We like having the peace of mind that trained agents respond at the push of a button with a personalized emergency plan. They can even follow preferences for notifying contacts.
We also trust the devices. People living with diabetes are prone to vision loss due to conditions like glaucoma and macular edema. This can lead to falls, cardiac events, and strokes. With LifeStation’s waterproof equipment and two-way speakers, we found it easy to connect to the monitoring center when needed.
FYI: LifeStation equipment uses three methods to detect falls. The devices feature accelerometers, barometric sensors, and an algorithm to tell if you have fallen or dropped the product.
Testing out our LifeStation Sidekick before we head outside.
Where LifeStation shines is with their on-the-go systems. One of our favorite features is the GPS tracking. With unintentional falls on the rise, particularly with older adults, pinpointing your location can help emergency responders reach you faster.2
>> Keep Reading: Best Medical Alert Systems with Fall Detection
Another highlight is the Sidekick’s five-day battery life. It seems like our phone is always running empty. But with Sidekick, we don’t have to remember to charge it daily.
| Connectivity | Cellular |
|---|---|
| Fall Detection | $10 per month |
| In-home Range | 650 ft |
| Battery Backup | Up to 24 hours |
| GPS Option | Yes |
| Money-back Guarantee | 30-day |
We believe the only way to give you reliable recommendations is by testing medical alert systems ourselves. Our team spent several months assessing over 35 devices to see if they were a good fit for people with diabetes. The testers looked at criteria like monitoring center response time, fall detection accuracy, and cellular connectivity.
We considered multiple factors when choosing and ranking the best medical alert systems for people with diabetes. Additional criteria included:
Our focus for this guide was to review and test medical alert systems for people with diabetes. All assessments were conducted by senior care experts with over 50 years of combined industry experience. We also consulted with diabetes experts and interviewed real customers to understand what they need and how they use their products.
An estimated 150 million emergency department visits over a 10-year period included a diabetes diagnosis.3 When emergencies occur, a medical alert device is a lifesaver. The risks of falls are high for people with diabetes due to low blood sugar.
If you experience blurred vision, dizziness, and weakness, you can press a button on a pendant, smartwatch, or phone to get immediate help. Here are a few more ways diabetes increases fall risk:
Living with diabetes means managing multiple health challenges. But medical alert systems provide an important layer of protection. You have the peace of mind knowing these devices instantly alert monitoring centers or a loved one. They can also support you in other ways, including:
Our MGMove offers weather updates and reminders even while it’s charging.
Living with diabetes means staying vigilant about your health every day. While not all medical alert systems might be suitable in supporting your condition, these four offer the best features to help you live independently with a greater peace of mind. If medical alert systems weren’t on your radar before, now’s the time to invest in one to improve your health and quality of life.
We recommend choosing devices with fall detection, GPS tracking, and that use reliable cellular networks. Other useful features include medication reminders, telehealth access, and waterproof devices. A long battery life is also useful.
Some medical alert systems let you schedule medication reminders to stay on schedule. They reduce the risk of missing doses and help maintain steady blood sugar levels.
Wearable devices provide freedom to move and travel outside of the home. Meanwhile, home-based systems are ideal if you spend most of your time around the house. In this case, we suggest choosing a device with a high range so you always stay connected to the home base.
In our tests, we typically connected to monitoring centers within 30 seconds after pressing the button or simulating a fall.
Many medical alert systems are designed with seniors in mind. They feature large buttons and a minimalist design. The devices can be worn as pendants or wristbands so they are always in reach.
Here’s how 24/7 emergency monitoring works: When you press the help button, a monitoring center agent will communicate with you either through a speaker and microphone on the at-home base unit or the on-the-go mobile device. The agent will assess your needs and immediately send medical assistance if necessary. One thing to look for is a TMA Five-Diamond certification, the gold standard in monitoring center certifications. This indicates that the agents have a high level of training and expertise.
Wireless connectivity means you don't need a landline to communicate with a medical alert monitoring center. In most cases, you do not need to have your own cellular account; the cellular connection is provided through the provider. Generally, wireless medical alerts, available with at-home and on-the-go systems, are a bit more expensive than landline options. However, a wireless system gives you more flexibility, as well as the ability to roam rather than remaining at home near your medical alert device and its base station.
If you or your older loved one does not speak English as a primary language, know that some monitoring centers offer multilingual support. Sometimes this means that a monitoring center agent who speaks a language other than English (usually Spanish) is available to provide assistance. In most cases, the monitoring centers have access to a translation service that can accommodate as many as 200 different languages.
With the equipment’s built-in speaker and microphone, two-way voice enables you to communicate directly with the monitoring center. Most at-home systems include this feature within their base unit. When moving away from the base unit, you can call for assistance with a wearable help button, but not speak with a monitoring center agent through it. Most mobile devices also include two-way talk, so you can roam nearly anywhere and still have the ability to communicate directly with a monitoring center agent.
Mobile monitoring uses the same communication function as the wireless connectivity feature. Both mobile monitoring and wireless connectivity use a cellular network connection to communicate. The only difference is that mobile monitoring requires a mobile medical or on-the-go medical alert device that's equipped to handle a cellular signal that can provide you with medical assistance no matter where you go. So if you are diabetic, this is another important feature to have. This is because it will provide you with on-demand medical assistance which enables you to travel and do everything you normally do without having to worry about your blood sugar.
Some medical alert devices are water-resistant, while others are waterproof. What is the difference? Water resistance refers to a device that can withstand the rain or a shower and continue to work correctly. However, a waterproof medical alert device can withstand being submerged in water for an extended period of time, like in the bathtub or shower. Be aware that even though waterproof, some devices may not be safe in a pool or hot tub because of the chlorine.
Whether at home or away, nationwide coverage is important, and most medical alert companies provide it. If you live in an area that does not receive a strong cellular connection from a given communications network, particularly if you are ordering an at-home system, you will probably want to look at other medical alert systems. In addition, if you are active or frequently travel, your mobile medical alert could be impacted by the system’s network, so know before you go.
The term “range” for at-home medical alert devices refers to the distance between the medical alert base unit and the help button before they lose communication with each other. Mobile medical alert devices have an unlimited range, just like a cellphone. However mobile medical alert systems often have two components, such as the mobile unit and the help button, which is typically worn at home. The two components communicate with one another but have a limited range before they lose communication. Take note that ranges vary widely.
When we talk about GPS location detection, we are talking about on-the-go systems. Most mobile devices use GPS tracking, and some systems include advanced GPS location that utilizes other technology, like Wi-Fi and Bluetooth, to enable more precise pinpointing. For example, if a person had a medical emergency inside an office building, advanced GPS likely would be able to identify the location of the building as well as the whereabouts within the building.
SingleCare Team. (2025). Diabetes statistics 2025.
https://www.singlecare.com/blog/news/diabetes-statistics/
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2024). Common injuries as we age.
https://www.cdc.gov/still-going-strong/about/common-injuries-as-we-age.html
Dickson, M. C., & Skrepnek, G. H. (2024). Hospitalization and health resource utilization in emergency department cases of diabetic foot infections in the U.S. from 2012 to 2021: A nationally representative analysis.
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11432337/
