Medical Alert Systems With Fall Detection

Whether your loved one has fallen once or breaks a hip frequently, medical alert systems help prevent serious injuries. These systems offer round-the-clock emergency response, clear two-way communication, and automatic fall detection.

The best medical alert systems with fall detection are accurate, reliable, and easy to use. They also offer affordable pricing and no hidden fees.

Precision

Using accelerometers and sensors similar to those found in an airbag, fall detection sensors measure sudden movements that are characteristic of a falls. Some of the more sophisticated systems use multiple sensors, such as three-axis accelerometers that measure acceleration in all directions and can detect the abrupt movement that occurs during a fall. Other systems incorporate barometric sensors that can measure a small change in barometric pressure, such as the one that would occur when moving from a standing to prone position.

These sensors trigger an emergency call to a monitoring center when they sense a fall or if they can’t determine why the device has triggered a false alarm (likely due to a tripped up chair or a change in body posture). A representative from the monitoring station will talk with you to see if you’re okay and will help you figure out what caused the system to send an emergency request. You can cancel the emergency call by pressing and holding your pendant emergency button or base station button for a specified amount of time.

Urgent response

Falls are a leading cause of injury among seniors, and those who fall once have twice the chance of falling again. Seniors who are at high risk of falling may benefit from a medical alert system with automatic fall detection.

Using accelerometer technology, the device detects a fall and automatically calls a monitoring center for help, without requiring the user to press a button. This feature is available with most medical alert systems for an additional monthly fee.

Personal Medical Alarms While a medical alert system can be helpful to anyone, it’s especially important for those who live alone or have an underlying health condition that increases the risk of falling. For this reason, our Reviews Team chose the medical alert system with the best automatic fall detection: Medical Guardian, which offers its home and on-the-go devices with a waterproof wearable that has built-in fall detection. This system also offers the widest range of connection types on our list—landline, cellular, and VoIP—and one of the fastest response times at only 15 seconds.

Ease of use

Automatic fall detection is relatively new in medical alert systems, so it’s not without some issues. The technology might detect everyday movements and not recognize a fall, which could result in unwanted paramedics arriving at the user’s home. However, advances in the system seem to be reducing this problem.

Most medical alert companies offer a device that the customer can press to request help, but they also have options for people who cannot physically push the button. These devices are usually able to tell when a fall or other emergency occurs and will call a monitoring center.

LifeFone offers a landline and cellular in-home and mobile system, as well as a bundled at-home and on-the-go device (perfect for couples). All systems include the option of adding fall detection for $5 per month. The device consists of a base unit and a pendant with a two-way speaker. A separate necklace with a sensor is included for on-the-go systems.

False alarms

Using medical alert systems with fall detection is ideal for those who want the added peace of mind that comes from knowing their device will be able to notify a monitoring center in the event of a possible fall. But this feature isn’t foolproof, and false alarms do happen from time to time.

These sensors use a combination of metrics like speed, impact, distance and movement to determine whether a fall has occurred. If it does, the wearer is connected to a call center and a representative will assess their condition to determine whether help is needed.

Some companies, including LifeFone and Alert1, include this feature with their home and on-the-go systems at no extra cost. They also don’t require a long-term contract, so users can cancel their service at any time. But for some people, the worry of a false alarm can be enough to keep them from purchasing the device or using it.