Life Alert Medical Alert System Review

Quick History of Life Alert

Life Alert is a household name, thanks to a long-running infomercial with the iconic line, “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up.” The company was established in 1987, and has been in the medical alert industry for over 30 years. Over 600 people are employed by Life Alert, which is headquartered in Encino, California,1 and has offices in New York, New Jersey, and Florida.

I like that Life Alert’s response centers are TMA Five Diamond-certified2 (the gold standard for the industry), and the products are UL listed.3 These certifications give proof that Life Alert is a brand you can trust, both for their monitoring service and the quality of their equipment.

However, in my more than five years in the caregiving and medical alert system industry, I’ve learned that there’s more to a brand than those two things. For example, how’s the customer service? Does the system have all the features you need? How much independence can you enjoy with the type of system being offered?

Those questions can only be answered with first-hand experience, so let’s take a closer look to see how Life Alert’s systems perform compared to the best medical alert systems I’ve tested.

My Full Experience With Life Alert

Getting Started

First off, Life Alert isn’t exactly transparent with their pricing. Their website appears dated and doesn’t offer medical alert system prices or information on monthly costs. Instead, I was prompted to call for a free brochure or a quote from a sales representative.

This experience takes me back to the 1990s and early 2000s when most medical alert systems offer pricing information only over the phone. And perhaps that’s the goal for Life Alert. Their target audience comes from a generation that’s used to dealing in person or over the phone. If that’s you, then maybe Life Alert’s website and marketing style will resonate with you.

That being said, there’s no denying that it’s more convenient to at least have some pricing information before making a call. And unfortunately, rather than offering practical information about products and pricing, Life Alert’s website is full of numerous advertising claims. For example, front and center on the website’s home page is the claim that states: “Saving a life from a catastrophe every 11 minutes. We are the one and only Life Alert.”4

While I cannot prove or disprove these claims, I do know that a number of other medical alert companies provide quality, cost-effective, and life-saving systems.

Moving on to customer service …

When I did get through to an agent, he transferred me to a sales representative who was helpful and courteous in answering my questions. (But my agent talked a mile a minute, so it’s best to take notes!)

I ended up speaking to a few sales representatives, and each offered varying prices based on current promotions and other factors. Unfortunately, the company only provides service with a 36-month contract attached (three years to be exact), and I found Life Alert to be more expensive compared to other medical alerts in the market.

Ultimately, I had to rely on the information the sales reps gave me and what I could find on the website. With that said, I recommend reading the fine print in your paperwork before signing on the dotted line.

Is Life Alert Easy to Use?

While DIY installation is possible, in most cases Life Alert will visit your home and provide professional installation for their equipment. Fortunately, this service is available nationwide. But I’ve set up dozens of medical alert systems, and I know that DIY setup is fast and easy. (Most systems only take about three-to-five minutes to install.) So I’d like to see a bigger focus on do-it-yourself setups from Life Alert.

Now, if you choose the in-home option, you’ll receive one or two help buttons that you can place on a wall where falls are more likely to happen, perhaps a hallway leading to a bathroom5 or a place where you spend much of your time.

These Life Alert buttons are large (2.8″ L x 1.75″ W x 0.75″ H) and bright red with the word ‘HELP’ emblazoned across the device. It’s hard to miss. They are also waterproof so you can safely place them in the shower. One other neat thing about them is they are standalone devices. They don’t need to pair with the in-home base unit, and so they’re not limited by the base unit’s wireless range. The wall buttons also have their own microphones and speakers so you can speak with the monitoring center directly through them.

This isn’t like anything I’ve seen in all the medical alert systems I’ve tested. I’ve seen voice-activated wall buttons when I reviewed GetSafe, but you still have to be within audible distance from the base unit to talk to an agent. In my expert opinion, a wall button through which you can speak can be much more effective in saving lives.

The Mobile + GPS system is designed to be worn as a necklace pendant or placed in your pocket or purse. While I found these units to be more discreet, they make it just as easy to summon help with the push of a button. And thanks to the GPS, responders can locate you wherever you are – the agent I spoke with was able to pinpoint my location exactly when I tested the device while on a trek.

So all in all, if you or your loved one needs assistance, you can use any of the three types of buttons provided – the wearable Life Alert pendant when you’re home, the wall button installed in a high-risk area, or the Mobile + GPS unit if you’re out and about. In my experience, Life Alert was just as easy to use as some of the top-rated alert systems, like Medical Guardian.

There’s another option, which actually surprised me because I didn’t peg Life Alert (based on what I’ve seen from its website) as a high-tech option. Life Alert has a smartphone app that has the same one-button interface as the physical buttons they offer. If you press the button, the app will put you through Life Alert’s monitoring center. Aside from that, the app also features emergency signals, like flashing lights so bystanders know that you need help.

I should mention that this app requires an internet connection to work, either Wi-Fi or cellular data. And also, the interface does look dated and the app hasn’t been updated since 2018. On the positive side, the app had a 1.5 star rating (out of 5) in the Apple App Store last time I looked at it, but now, it has improved to 3.3 stars. More importantly, the app works, albeit with a very limited functionality.

According to one iOS user: “I have this installed for my mom in addition to the pendant. This is good and works even when [she] is out of the house [and] on her phone.”

Life Alert Mobile App Screenshots

Equipment Features and Specs

Wearing the Devices

Thankfully, I can say that wearing a medical alert device is comfortable once you get used to it. For Life Alert’s in-home wearables (lanyard or wrist pendant), you press the round button and, within around 40 to 60 seconds based on my tests, the base unit will connect with a response agent who will ask if you are okay. If you’re unable to answer, the agent will dispatch first responders to your home.

Life Alert Pendants

I would have liked to see more fashionable options, like Medical Alert’s sleek Mobile LTE. And if you’re looking for something ultra-discreet and elegantly designed, I recommend reading my latest review of Bay Alarm Medical.

Bay Alarm has medical alert buttons designed and can function as a smartwatch. But for the most part, I think the Life Alert help button is well designed, comfortable, easy to wear, and most importantly, works when you need it. In fact, you might even forget you’re wearing it.

As for the mobile GPS button — unlike the in-home pendant — this wearable device includes two-way talk. It’s about the size of a credit card and weighs two ounces (the same weight as a tennis ball), so it’s a bit on the heavy side. However, you don’t have to wear it around your neck. In fact, I found it quite uncomfortable to wear it for extended periods because of its weight, so I recommend clipping it inside of your purse, on your pants pocket, or belt.

I also appreciated that both the in-home wearables and GPS device are waterproof, so you’ll have a little more peace of mind when taking a shower, washing dishes, or watering your lawn. Although waterproofing is becoming more common in the industry, there are still lots of brands that don’t offer it. So kudos to Life Alert here.

Life Alert 24/7 Monitoring

When you press your medical alert button, you can expect to receive a response from a highly-trained specialist in 50 seconds or less. So if you or your loved one faces a crisis, no matter if it’s day or night, you can rest easy knowing Life Alert will get the notification and immediately respond.

Now, if you’re looking for an alert system that delivers faster response, one of the most responsive units that I’ve used is Lively, which has a response time under 19 seconds. Now that’s what you call lightning in a button. (You can read more about their offerings in my latest Lively analysis.)

Another thing to keep in mind is that you can provide health history to Life Alert, which the monitoring center can then relay to paramedics in the case of an emergency. In addition, you can add a list of caregivers and family members to notify during an emergency situation. We think this is a nice touch, but it’s something that most services offer these days.

So I found plenty of things to like about Life Alert. But I was disappointed that their systems don’t offer fall detection, which automatically alerts medical responders if (or when!) you fall — even if the medical alert button isn’t pushed. This surprised me, as fall detection is a fairly standard feature in the market today. Even if I need to pay an extra $10 per month to get it, I think it’s worth it. For a look at systems that do offer fall protection, read our Best Fall Detection Devices guide.

Life Alert Customer Service

One thing I really value is great customer service. As mentioned above, ordering the Life Alert medical alert system was not exactly smooth sailing.
That said, it is important to distinguish customer service agents from the monitoring center agents who generally receive good reviews from people who appreciate their calm and professional approach.

However, the customer service/sales agents were actually a tad pushy, and each gave me slightly different information about the products. During one conversation in which I had hoped to order a system, I was told by the agent, in so many words, that I was wasting his time.

If you choose to go with Life Alert, hopefully your experience will be more positive. At any rate, I don’t think Life Alert service quite compares to Lifeline’s stellar customer service. Check out my full Lifeline review to learn more.

Life Alert Equipment and Pricing

I found that the typical Life Alert plan requires a 36-month contract and offers customized systems that can be combined. Each plan also requires a pretty steep $198 one-time membership fee that covers shipping, setup, and installation. (One sales agent with whom I spoke referred to the $198 cost as an activation fee.) Included with this fee is a lifetime warranty. It covers equipment that is either damaged or stops working. I suppose this is another silver lining to signing a long-term contract. Other companies offer protection plans that cost an extra $5 to $10 per month.

Other perks that Life Alert offers include a free month of service with an annual payment plan and a lifetime price guarantee. The guarantee ensures that the price you pay when you begin your subscription is the same when your contract ends. I liked that this remains the same if you decide to renew your plan. But keep in mind, this only applies to existing members. So, if you cancel and want to renew at a later date, the rate will be adjusted.

Complete In-Home Plan

Life Alert Complete In-Home Plan

This system includes a base station, necklace pendant or bracelet, and two help buttons. You have your choice of using either a landline or cellular connection. But at $89.85 per month, the price is much steeper compared to most of the other brands I’ve tested, but remember that the two wall buttons included are standalone devices with their own cellular connectivity, and those features are likely what drove the price so high.

Here are the features you can expect:

• Base unit (800-ft range)
• 2 Waterproof wireless wall buttons
• 1 Neck/wrist pendant (doesn’t need charging)

Modified In-Home Plan

Life Alert’s Modified Home Plan is a cheaper option at $69.90 per month (which is still pricey compared to the industry average) and provides some of the same equipment: one base unit and pendant. But with this subscription you only get one wireless wall button instead of two. It can be a good option for a household with only one senior, whereas the complete in-home plan may accommodate two. This package will contain the following:

• Base unit (800-ft range)
• 1 wearable neck or wrist button
• Wireless wall button

Home and GPS Plan

This system offers combined in-home and mobile coverage. It might be a good fit if you or your loved one lives an active lifestyle. For $89.85 per month, you’ll receive a mobile GPS button in addition to your in-home base unit, one wearable pendant, and one wireless wall button. Features include:

• Two-way talk
• GPS tracking technology
• Waterproof design

Add-On Features

Like most medical alert systems, Life Alert offers a few additional features in order to customize your system. I have them listed for you below.

Waterproof Wireless Wall Button — Many falls take place in the shower or bathroom, so Life Alert offers help buttons that easily attach to a wall. These buttons are battery-powered, so you don’t have to connect them to an outlet. They are also waterproof with a battery that lasts up to 10 years (impressive). An extra button costs $19.95.

Spouse Monitoring — You can add on a spouse or other loved one to your subscription for an extra $10 per month. We do like having this option, as some brands don’t offer it at all. You’ll receive an additional in-home wearable pendant with this plan.

Personal Protection at Home — By pressing an intrusion alert button, you can contact Life Alert’s security dispatchers without accessing your phone to call 911. Using the built-in, two-way talk, you can speak directly with the dispatchers who will stay on the line until help arrives.

Summary and Recommendations

While Life Alert is one of the best known medical alert companies due to their “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” commercials, their product offerings are somewhat limited, they require long-term contracts, and the prices are definitely on the steep side. Life Alert also requires an expensive membership fee that I just don’t see from other brands. As such, we recommend it to couples planning to age together in place – adding a spouse to your monitoring plan costs only $10 per month, so couples can share the total cost.

On the other hand, Life Alert does have a quality response team that’s prepared to deal with every type of emergency.

The company also offers a lifetime warranty and a lifetime price guarantee. So, that’s nice. But again, the brand doesn’t stack up with many others I’ve researched and tested. Other companies provide more price transparency and important features like fall detection, which can be lifesaving.

Overall, it’s important to choose an alert system that allows you to age with confidence and live with peace of mind. So I hope my in-depth Life Alert review has helped you to narrow down your options and make a decision one way or another.

FAQs