Imagine you’re in the middle of nowhere late at night, your phone is dead, and you’ve run out of gas — and then you have a medical emergency. Scary, right? That’s what it’s like every day for plenty of aging folks with medical needs. Independent seniors who suffer accidents in their homes may as well be in the middle of nowhere if they have no way to contact emergency services.
Enter the medical alert device.
Many companies that manufacture them claim they’re lifesavers, and some of them are. (Check out our list of the best medical alert devices of 2023 for the names you can trust.) But there are a surprising number of devices surfacing on Amazon that simply don’t work as advertised. Not even close.
Here are the worst of the worst — medical devices that for one reason or another regularly leave older adults in the lurch. Stick around for a roundup of our favorite brands and a quick checklist of features every reliable medical alert device should have.
Thriive
The two i’s in Thriive are the least of this iffy medical alert device’s problems, according to a number of fuming customers. Platinum Health, the company that produces the Thriive, has no Better Business Bureau rating — or entry, for that matter.
The Thriive comes in a bunch of bright colors and its website is slick, even though its blog went dry in 2021, a year after the Thriive hit the market. So what’s the problem with the colorful, cellphone-shaped Thriive? The device itself hasn’t racked up a mountain of hate mail like some of the other lemons on this list, but nonexistent customer support is a running theme.
Some Thriive customers couldn’t get in touch with a human to help them set up their devices. Others couldn’t extend their monitoring subscription, and medical alert devices are useless without monitoring. It seems like the operators aren’t standing by at Platinum Health, which is, you know, what you’re paying for.
Sound bad? That’s nothing compared to the next device on our list.
Wearsafe Personal Emergency Response Tag
Women’s Health magazine may have named the Wearsafe Emergency Response Tag the Top Gadget of CES 2017, but the people who have used it — or tried to use it — have named it Very Misleading and Poorly Made and a Flat-Out Scam.
I don’t know why some customers felt they’d been misled into purchasing a product that requires a subscription. I’ve seen my share of misleading home security product pricing, but Wearsafe clearly advertises a monthly fee on its website. So let’s give the company a pass there.
I can’t, however, give it a pass here. Wearsafe used to let seniors connect with loved ones via its app, which had location tracking and live video and audio. Those are both great, possibly lifesaving features, but Wearsafe ditched in-app notifications for SMS in 2020. Stripping the service like that understandably ticked off some of the company’s staunchest supporters.
The biggest issue for older folks is that the Wearsafe has no two-way audio. If an older adult with a Wearsafe tag has an accident, they’d better pray their cellphone is handy. Otherwise they’re on their own.
My verdict? Look for a top-rated medical alert device with GPS tracking and two-way audio. You never know when you’re going to need help — in the shower, in the backyard, or anywhere you are without your phone.
FastHelp
The FastHelp seems to be anything but fast or helpful. Unlike the Thriive, which works but gets an F in customer service, or the Wearsafe, with its downgraded app, the FastHelp doesn’t even function properly, according to a number of complaints lodged over the years.
When I say it doesn’t work, I mean the device has a reputation for not turning on and failing to connect to 911. Some customers who got through to emergency services couldn’t hear anything because the volume was too low. I’m not sure which is worse.
The main reason I’d steer clear of this shoddy device is that it doesn’t really do anything. It doesn’t have location tracking, so 911 wouldn’t know where you are. If you have a spill and can’t talk, you aren’t going to get any help.
Features Your Medical Alert Device Should Always Have
Two-Way Talk
Two-way audio lets you communicate directly with emergency services without a phone. Seniors who don’t have this feature are putting their lives at risk.
Reliable Fall Detection
When you’re researching medical alert devices, look for devices with accurate fall detection and GPS tracking for cases when you may become unresponsive.
Cellular Connection
It goes without saying that if a medical alert device is running only off a landline, it won’t work once you leave your home. Choose a medical alert device with a cellular connection if you want protection both inside and outside your house.
Adequate Range
When you use your device only at home, you’ll want to find a product that has enough of a hub-to-tag range to cover you wherever you are in the house.
Medical Alert Systems Worth Considering
Bay Alarm Medical
Of all the models we’ve tested, Bay Alarm Medical has the best cellular GPS tracking with first-rate rapid response and a unique in-car feature. Check out our hands-on Bay Alarm Medical review for a complete tour of its features.
Medical Guardian
Medical Guardian makes reliable, well-built products with reasonably priced monitoring plans. For stylish seniors, the company has a smartwatch that doubles as a medical alert device. And, yes, Medical Guardian has earned thousands of positive reviews. Here’s our experience testing Medical Guardian’s products.
ADT Health
ADT is the king of the hill in home security, so it makes sense that it would branch out into medical monitoring. The company’s GPS tracking and two-way audio is top of the line. We have the full report in our ADT Health buyer’s guide.
Summing Up
Your home is your castle, but it can also be a scary place for independent older adults. Even a minor accident can leave a healthy senior stranded.
Medical alert devices claim to remove this risk, putting golden-agers in instant contact with family and first responders if things go south. They can also help older folks get the emergency aid they need — as long as they work properly and have the right features.
Unfortunately, this is one area of home safety where a device that works nine times out of 10 just doesn’t cut it. That’s why we strongly recommend staying clear of any medical alerts with lackluster features, histories of malfunctioning, or poor customer support. For names you can trust, check out our top picks in the section above.
