Medical Guardian Reviews

Medical Guardian has over 30 years of experience in providing medical and security monitoring services, and aims to grant elderly residents the chance to age gracefully and independently in their own home. Their 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 utilize 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 and spares everyone from activation fees.

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 center 24/7 every day of the year.

They don’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 in any case of emergency with caring help.

The monitoring agents store the senior’s medical history on file, which is immediately shared with the dispatched paramedics. On top of all that, customers have the option to customize their contact list, therefore deciding the notification order of friends and caregivers during an emergency or even call designated doctors.

The operators are prepared to deal with language barriers as well. In cases where the caller’s native language isn’t English, they’ll immediately involve a third party translation agency that acts as a mediator. In short, seniors can put their worries aside, as Medical Guardian has ironed out all possible communication problems. 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 not only makes the elderly reserved and depressed but their limited movement could only impact the problem, leading to a greater chance of collapsing due to weakened muscles. To remove that 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. Although the system is made to be as accurate as possible, the pendant isn’t 100% failproof and so it is recommended to always press the button 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 Guardian

True to its name, the Classic Guardian represents all the necessary characteristics of an in-home medical alert system. It works through a landline, and the range between the console and the help button can be extended by up to 1,300 feet.

The base station 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 also boasts a lengthy backup battery that keeps the main station operational for 32 hours during a blackout.

Home Guardian

The Home Guardian is a step-up from the Classic version. It doesn’t require a landline to work, as it functions using the cellular network if necessary. Unfortunately, better connectivity comes at the cost of a reduced coverage range since the unit can only reach 600 feet.

The Home Guardian displays useful information such as the time or the current temperature, and is also capable of supporting multiple devices at the same time – including the fall detection button – meaning senior couples or groups of people can stay protected using the same base unit. These buttons last for quite some time, too, since both the watches and the pendants last 18 months with one battery.

Mobile Guardian

Mobile Guardian enables the personal safety net to move outside the house. This completely mobile base station is perfect for active seniors who like to take road trips and holidays as it incorporates advanced GPS tracking to help the operators pinpoint the user’s location.

The portable unit has only 24 hours of battery time, but the cradle charger is able to restore the power in two hours. The mobile station can be carried in a bag or in its special leather case, and it maintains a connection with the help buttons within a radius of 350 feet.

Active Guardian

The latest addition to the Medical Guardian device family, Active Guardian is the best choice for free-spirited seniors. Just like Mobile Guardian, this button is also portable, but instead includes beefed-up power with an extended five-day battery life, which makes it a perfect traveling companion.

Although it takes three hours to fully restore the energy to the device, the included car charger spares on-the-go seniors from worrying about a drained battery for 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 a 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 aging relative and their daily activity through the sensors. The detectors can be placed in the kitchen or the bathroom to track any activity in these areas, while the contact sensor registers every 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 whether they are having regular meals.

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, all that is required is to plug the central control unit into the power outlet and landline. If you’ve opted for a wireless monitoring unit, 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 with 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. Whichever package you pick, you aren’t forced to commit to a long-term contract thanks to the availability of monthly, quarterly and annual subscriptions.

Even though the monthly payment plan allows 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 annual plan comes with other benefits too, such as a free lockbox and a free month of service. With Medical Guardian the equipment is always provided for free and so you only need to pay for the monitoring service, the cost of which changing dependent on the system opted for.

The Classic Guardian has the most cost-effective payment package, costing $29.95 for a month. Home Guardian comes in at $34.95 per month, while the Mobile Guardian offers protection for as low as $39.95 for a month. Active Guardian charges $49.95 per month for premium on-the-go protection. The most expensive is the highest caliber system, Family Guardian, which provides a set of sensors and a home station with buttons for $79.95.

Medical Guardian makes a firm promise that it won’t increase the price of your service. There are no activation fees, and all alert systems are shipped for free if you choose the annual package. The service is available to be ordered online directly or upon requesting a free quote, which also lands you a special bonus offer. You can also give Medical Guardian a call on 1-800-310-5997 to receive a free quote and likely an additional benefit if you decide to order.

New customers are eligible for two months free of a charge by using the latest coupon code. 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 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.

The company offers a chance for customers to review the product themselves in the form of a 30-day money back guarantee. If unsatisfied, 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. The company grants a 15-day window for re-shipping 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 five 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 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.