Visit Medical GuardianCall 800-310-5997
Coupons| 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.
Classic Guardian
The Home Guardian Set
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.
Medical Guardian's Mobile Guardian
The Active Guardian
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.
Video Introduction of Freedom Guardian
Emergency Call With Freedom Guardian
Messaging via Freedom Guardian
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.
On the west coast says
We have struggled with the Freedom watch for just over a year now. It has proven unreliable. The watch only uses the 3G network and is continually experiencing connection problems and software problems. The emergency operators are not the customer service reps and the customer service people are hard to get without a lengthy wait on hold or a promise for a call back hours later when you are no longer with the loved one with the watch that is acting up. There are times the unit goes blank and you cannot get it to respond to even turn off to reboot. Sometimes it will awaken and contact the help folks when no button was pushed. Even when the main purpose of accessing assistance in the case of emergency, the other features didn’t work, such as the talk to text messaging and the calendar. The weather calendar had trouble updating and syncing with real time. So, it has its limits. I wasn’t aware it used the 3G network when we purchased it. I shared my thoughts and input in a constructive way with the tech support people early on, but it can take an hour on the phone with the other tech folks that are less familiar with the Freedom watch before they refer you to those that specialize in the Freedom watch. Bottom line, it is an unreliable watch for our area. I have shared with Medical Guardian that we would have happily paid MORE money for a more reliable unit, but this is all they offer. I wish the company luck, but we are going with the Mobile Help Samsung watch at this point. It works off the 4G network and I am hoping will prove more reliable.
michaelW says
The Active Guardian worked great for about 14 months for my 85 year old mother who lives independently but has some medical issues. Never needed to use it for an emergency, but when tested or after accidental button presses, response was very good and professional during that time.
Two months after renewing for a year (over $700!) we found the device started to only hold a charge for a little over a day and it sometimes would not respond to call button presses. Medical Guardian sent out a replacement. Over the course of a month that new one was worse than the old one. It would not hold a charge more than 10-12 hours! It also frequently failed to respond to button presses. After several calls, I found out that devices that lose cellular signals have to hunt more often for a signal and use a lot more battery. I also found out through research that it uses AT&T 3G network… Now, everyone knows 3G is being phased out so they are replacing cell towers with 5G. But Medical Guardian had no plan for this. And worse they continue to tout their “up to 5 days” when they know it relies on availability of 3G. To me that is false marketing. I don’t care if they do have a tiny print disclaimer about the battery power. You don’t do that to a loyal customer and not warn them about on going changes to the network! We’re talking about a life safety device.
Unfortunately, a lot of other medical alert devices are using the same network. No one mentions this in the reviews, most of which predate the plan to phase out 3G. Medical Guardian finally said they are planning a new device that uses 4G “soon.” But no offer of a credit for the months of failed service we paid for.
So bottom line: Beware. Find out what kind of network the device uses and check your signal availability.
Annalee says
We thought of a medical alarm system as the perfect solution for my widowed father as he stubbornly refuses personal help.
We thought any company we would ever get these services from would quickly want to get rid of my father as a customer… as he is the type of senior who likes to talk, and talk, and talk 😀
He was enthusiastic in embracing his wrist band and to ring the operators whenever he thought it would be fun to hit that button again. Not surprisingly it would seem that they have many such seniors, and good for them that they’re good at getting people like my dad not to ring them all the time.
Rich Stackon says
Got my mother the basic Guardian that has 2 pendants and a wrist alert. Their customer service is great, until you have a problem. One night, we had two false alarms, the call center failed to call and properly notify the numbers on the list, and called EMS out without waiting for clarification if it was a false or not. The operator at the call center seemed a bit irritated when I told him there was obviously an issue with the transmitter or base receiving a false, as my mother wasn’t even in possession of the transmitters when they went off for no apparent reason. EMS showed up at her home at 3:30 am, which was nice…they were pleasant…but, this kind of stuff is unacceptable. It caused my 83 year old mom more stress than she needed, and upset her sleep. When I tried calling customer service the next day, they seemed clueless and could not give an answer as to what was going on. I then tried option “4” on their menu to cancel the service, and was placed on hold for half an hour, only to be told to call back due to high call volume. It seems this company is quick to get you signed up and take your money, but when you have an issue they don’t seem sympathetic to it at all, and make it difficult for you to resolve! That’s unacceptable, especially for a device such as this that many elderly people and their families depend on to be reliable!
Kirsten says
We had no problems with making the switch from a home system to a mobile system. The home system has been serving my mother well during recovery of her hip surgery, we hope the carry-on button will give her the confidence to walk around the house again. A+ service
Robert Vincent says
I really love the monitor😋😋😋😀😀😀😀😀😀👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻👌🏻
Melany says
My elderly mother in law lives just a few houses away from us, so the GPS emergency button is a perfect aid for us. It gives her the freedom she still longs for while not really having the feeling she’s being tracked/watched.
It’s not cheap but avoids conflicts we used to had where she was getting angry on us for being looked after too closely, which makes it well worth the purchase for us.