We have Medical Guardian for my mom. I think it runs about $500 a year. I believe you have a choice of a wrist sensor or a pendant. My sister was in charge of doing the research (she’s an RN) so we went with her suggestion.

FWIW, we tried one with my mom - my sister researched and chose it based on her friend's recommendation. It was useless when she actually had an incident that put her in the hospital.

She has dementia and couldn't remember to wear or use the buttons and the device that connects to the phone wouldn't work properly. The speaker malfunctioned. We returned it but it cost us around $120 that we never got back.

When her incident happened, I wound up calling 911 which was much faster.

Definitely get one with a fall alert. When my father fell, the pendant was underneath him and he couldn’t get to it to push the button. It was closing the barn door after the horse ran away, but when he came home after hospital and rehab stays we upgraded the system to include the fall alert. Just be prepared for a couple false alarms. If they remove the pendant and put it down too quickly it registers as a fall;)

I have been thinking about putting an Alexa in my bathroom in case I fall. I don't believe you can call 911 with it, but I could call the neighbors.

Consumer Reports had a large story on these in the February 2021 issue (orange cover.) Please read before buying anything, it's a comprehensive overview with comparisons of specific brands.

Graywings! That’s exactly how my SIL was able to call her husband when she had a fall in the bathroom. Now they have Alexa in every room of the house.

Yes! I've heard from other people that personal assistants like Alexa can be a good alternative - as long as you have wifi, right?

Can this be the the Amazon dot? Could my Dad just say, "Alexa, call Annegriet"?

An oldster in my extended family who lived alone was given such a device by her kids, who otherwise worried about her situation. I don't know what service was used. One night, when returning to her bedroom from a bathroom visit, she tripped hit her head on a bedpost and was knocked out for some period of time. She awoke somewhat disoriented but found her head was in a pool of blood. She waited until sunrise before trying to get up. All the while, the alert device was hanging from her neck but she "didn't want to bother anyone".

That was the last straw for her kids, she's in an elder care residential facility now. It's not a nursing home it's not a memory unit it's just a residential facility that offers additional services. I share the story only to suggest that a medicalert device may not be adequate to resolve the problems of someone living alone who may require more third-party vigilance.

He's only home during day while I'm at work. He gets up around 10 and I return at 3:30. I need it for those hours. Otherwise, I'm here. I am going to teach him how to use Alexa though.

2Pups4Me--does your mom have the lock box from Medical Guardian? Do you feel it's safe? Lock boxes anyone else?

I have thought about the lockbox but then realized that anyone who had worked in emergency services would have the number to open it. The same is true for those outside garage door boxes. I have given people permission to break the door if they do not hear from me daily.

My Apple Watch has a feature on it that asks me when I fall if I need help and if I don't reply in a minute it notifies my contacts. There is also a button on it to call 911.

FWIW we have a small video monitor in my mom's living room where she spends most of her time. It's connected to an app on my phone and can be shared on more than one device. I use it to check on her throughout the day. She knows it's there for security purposes - not sure if she always remembers tho.

It cost a lot less than the medical alert system and has sound too. I've wanted to get a couple more, but haven't done so yet. I appreciate the peace of mind it gives us. We can peek in when she's alone and check how she's doing.

Definitely worth it. My mom has had Life Alert for several years. It's $29/month, it's never gone up. She wears a pendant. We don't have a lock box, just a key hidden outside and Life Alert has that information. We are rural so not worried about it. She hasn't had to use it yet. Not long ago she unknowingly set if off. Life Alert called me and told me they'd had an alarm, that she wasn't answering her phone and that EMS had been dispatched. I got there just as EMS did. We entered the house and mom was fine. In the bathroom with the door closed and hadn't heard the phone ringing.

A monitor is a good idea, too, if they don't mind it.