Medical Guardian Reviews

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Editor’s Rating
Monitoring Services
Alert Equipment
Customer Service
Pricing
Overall

Positives

• Fast and helpful monitoring service
• Reliable fall detection
• Mobile monitoring solutions
• Family Guardian senior monitoring system
• Versatile pricing, no hidden charges

Negatives

• No pill reminders
• No CO, fire or smoke detection

Medical Guardian has over 10 years of experience in providing medical and security monitoring services and aims to grant elderly residents the opportunity to age gracefully and independently in their own home. Its medical alert systems offer accurate fall detection functionality along with wireless and mobile monitoring units for those without a phone line. In addition to its array of monitoring equipment, Medical Guardian’s main strength is the well-rounded personal emergency service that caters to the needs and wishes of seniors or recovering patients. The company doesn’t offer up long-term contracts but still rewards customers who commit for a longer period with numerous benefits like free shipping and a complementary month of service. The payment plans are customer-friendly with services starting from $29.95 per month.

Monitoring Services

Medical Guardian knows better than anyone else that a lightning fast control center is the heart of any alert system and therefore only relies on well-trained operators manning the centers 24/7, every day of the year. The company doesn’t outsource anything and its service quality is backed by a certification from Underwriter’s Laboratories and the Department of Defense. All operators are 911/EMT trained professionals who are ready to assist with caring help in case of emergency.

The monitoring agents store the senior’s medical history on file, which is immediately shared with the dispatched paramedics. Customers also have the option to customize their contact list and can decide the notification order of friends, caregivers, and even designated doctors during an emergency situation.

The operators are prepared to deal with language barriers as well. If the caller’s native language isn’t English, they’ll immediately involve a third-party translation agency that acts as a mediator. In short, a press of the emergency button is all it takes to ensure that help is on the way, while the caring monitoring agent will maintain the call and keep the senior calm through the two-way communication system.

Fall Detection

Living in constant fear of falling makes the elderly reserved and depressed but this limited movement further escalates the problem, ultimately leading to a greater chance of collapsing due to weakened muscles. To remove that initial problem – the fear of falling – Medical Guardian offers fall detection as an add-on for most of its systems, including the Classic Guardian, Home Guardian, Family Guardian, and Active Guardian.

The technology behind the system uses accelerometers and barometric pressure meters to track the carrier’s speed and movement. Should the readings drop below the normal level, the pendant interprets this as a fall and automatically notifies the monitoring center. However, while the system is made to be as accurate as possible, the pendant isn’t 100% failproof and so it is recommended that the button is pressed manually if possible.

Monitoring Equipment

The medical monitoring equipment available with Medical Guardian is of the highest quality available, matching with the company’s top monitoring services. There’s a choice between traditional in-home devices that come with a base station or completely portable on-the-go buttons that accompany you while away from home.

Classic & Home Guardian

The base station of both of these systems sports a slick appearance and houses a sensitive two-way communication system, allowing seniors to talk to the operator from the far end of the room. The device comes with a UL bracket that prevents it from accidentally disconnecting from the power supply. The Classic Guardian boasts a lengthy backup battery that keeps the main station operational for 32 hours, and is able to maintain a connection with the wearable button within 1,300 feet.

The Home Guardian is very similar to the Classic version but relies on a cellular network rather than a landline. Unfortunately, improved connectivity comes at the cost of a reduced coverage range since the unit only reaches 600 feet. Home Guardian displays useful information on its digital screen and can support multiple devices at the same time – including the fall detection button – meaning that senior couples or groups of people can stay protected using the same base unit.

Mobile & Active Guardian

Mobile Guardian enables the user to move their personal safety net outside of the house. This completely mobile base station is perfect for active seniors that like to take road trips and holidays since it incorporates advanced GPS tracking to help the service operators pinpoint the user’s location. The portable unit only has 24 hours of battery time, but the cradle charger is able to recharge it to full power in two hours. The mobile station can be carried in a bag or in its special leather case and can maintain a connection with help buttons within a radius of 350 feet.

Just like Mobile Guardian, Active Guardian is also portable but instead comes with a beefed-up five-day battery life, while the included car charger spares on-the-road seniors from worrying about losing their safety net. Unlike its predecessors, Active Guardian supports fall detection – a vital feature for aging adults planning an active holiday – and the button is capable of connecting to public Wi-Fi hotspots as well.

Family Guardian

Family Guardian takes the concept of monitoring independently living seniors one step further by implementing smart home technology. The kit includes a Home Guardian cellular base station and accompanying help button, two activity sensors, and a main contact sensor.

The main premise of the system is to grant family members the ability to monitor their relative and their daily activities through these sensors. The detectors can be placed in the kitchen or the bathroom to track any activity within these areas, while the contact sensor registers each occasion the main door is opened.

Since all this data is summarized in a handy smartphone app, caregivers and family members have access to accurate statistics on things like how often the senior uses the bathroom or notice if there has been a change in their regular meal schedule.

Freedom Guardian

As a medical alert smartwatch, Freedom Guardian offers multiple features that no other help buttons have. The lightweight device displays the time and weather forecasts on its 1.22” vibrating 240p resolution touchscreen, which owners can use to cycle through the menus by swiping the surface. There are two buttons located on the side: one is for activating and deactivating the touchscreen, while the other is the traditional emergency call button.

The smartwatch is fitted with GPS and two-way communication so it functions similar to a mobile button, though it’s instead worn conveniently on the wrist. For an extra $5 per month users will also receive access to features such as text to speech translation and medication reminder messages. Unfortunately, however, the watch requires bi-daily charging and lacks fall detection.

Setup

Getting started with Medical Guardian is a piece of cake, both in terms of ordering the system and setting it up. The helpful customer service team will help select the best equipment and monitoring method for your personal needs and will ensure that a profile for yourself or the senior you’re caring for is carefully filled in with contact details for preferred doctors, emergency services, family members and – in the case of non-emergency situations – other caregivers.

When you receive the medical alarm equipment, just plug the central control unit into the power outlet and landline. If you’ve opted for a wireless device, it will of course not even need either of these. Once the system is connected, simply test the system by pressing the alert button, which will connect you to the control center to verify the test.

Pricing

Various subscriptions and system options are available to cater to the different needs and situations of the elderly customers. Whichever package you pick, you aren’t forced to commit to a long-term contract thanks to the availability of monthly, quarterly, semi-annual, and annual subscriptions.

Even though the monthly payment plan allows for a more flexible management of your chosen medical alert service, opting for a longer period has its advantages too. The longer the chosen payment period, the bigger the discount you earn on its equivalent monthly price. The longer plans come with further benefits too; free ground shipping with the quarterly plan, the semi-annual billing also grants you a free lockbox, and the annual plan includes a free month of service and an extra button on top of the previously mentioned benefits. You can also receive free quotes online or by calling Medical Guardian on 1-800-310-5997.

The Classic Guardian is the least expensive plan, costing $29.95 for a month. Home Guardian comes in at $34.95 per month, while Mobile Guardian is priced at $39.95 a month. Active Guardian charges $49.95 per month for its on-the-go protection. Then there is the Freedom Guardian Smartwatch, the only equipment you need to buy, costing $99. The monthly monitoring service charge is $44.95, but premium features, such as text-to-speech software and reminders cost an extra $5. The highest caliber system is Family Guardian, which provides a set of sensors and a home station with buttons for $79.95 per month.

In-Home Plans

On-the-Go Plans

Medical Guardian makes a firm promise that it won’t increase the price of your subscription. There are no hidden fees either, but keep in mind that ordering extra help buttons or any other add-ons such as a fall detection device or a wall button will slightly increase your monthly fee. Additional standard buttons cost $2 per month each, while the company charges $10 per month for a fall detection button.

Helpfully, the company gives its customers the chance to review the service themselves in the form of a 30-day money-back guarantee. If unsatisfied, just call the customer support during this 30-day period to cancel the subscription for a risk-free refund. There are no fees for doing so, but the account is only deactivated once the rented devices have been sent back and received by Medical Guardian and thankfully the company allows a 15-day window for reshipping your order after calling them. As the cherry on top, they offer prorated refunds on any unused month when cancelling the service, even after the initial 30 days.

Customer Service

Medical Guardian has been accredited by the Better Business Bureau with an A+ rating and proves to be very prompt in handling customer requests through the wide array of communication channels it is using.

Medical Guardian’s operators are available 24/7 via email, live chat and over the phone on 1-800-310-5997 to help you pick the right medical alert system. As part of our testing, we contacted them via live chat and had a helpdesk agent get back to us in just a few seconds with an answer.

The website itself is a great source of information, too, with the possibility to receive more detailed recommendations in a free brochure. Alternatively, send them a Facebook message or a Tweet with a question and they will endeavor to get back to you. The homepage also contains useful introductory videos about the system and the service itself.

Bottom Line

Medical Guardian is a leading force in medical alert systems, and it ensures a strong position by constantly rejuvenating its service and equipment. The company provides a fast and responsive monitoring service and six stellar medical alert devices.

Each base station boasts different specifications, catering to seniors with a wide range of different lifestyles and activity levels. Each base unit has a varying degree of battery time and range, too, while four out of five are compatible with the optional fall detection.

However, Medical Guardian sadly lacks the additional equipment that is typically appreciated, such as a medication dispenser and any environmental detectors, though the highly trained monitoring staff makes up for their absence.

And since Medical Guardian works with competitive prices and offers a generous money-back guarantee without shackling customers to a lengthy contract, it’s hard not to consider choosing this service. Opting for a longer service even promises further benefits and savings, such as free shipping.