Have personal experience with it with a 96 year old aunt who was still independent and in her own apartment. After going through a little rehab, one of the conditions of her being allowed to go back to her own home was to have Lifeline. In the two years it was in use - she managed to roll over on the necklace twice alerting the monitors who are on duty 24hrs. a day. The monitoring staff call the apartment/home first. If there's no answer, they contact whoever is on the client's contact list. In my case, I'd get the call, would run over and make sure everything was okay and reset the monitor which would let Lifeline know everything was okay. If a contact, etc. couldn't be reached, firemen or first responder team is sent to check things out.

There's quite a bit of info on the internet and doctors and nurses you might come into contact with would be familiar with the system.

Seems like the monthly fee was @$40 a couple of years ago. Well worth the peace of mind.

I'm not sure I want to rely on someone in another country, who may have limited English, to get me the emergency help I, or a loved family member, need when seconds matter.

Hope your system works as well for your mother.

I am in the process of winding down my relationship with Connect America. It seems much has changed since I first entered into an agreement with them. The biggest surprise is I discovered they do not actually monitor their boxes but monitoring is subcontracted to a third party. At the time I was doing my initial investigation, this was the first question I asked "Who provides the monitoring service?" I was told we do this in-house.

Jumping through the hoops they set up to drain every nickel out of an account, I discovered they do NOT in fact perform monitoring. I would say at best these people are slimy. So be very aware of what you are getting involved with.

Unfortunately, I have recommend Connect America to several other people. I now view this as a disservice to them. I would not recommend this company to anyone. There are just too many better options

My advice is to call your local hospital, the doctor's office, the retirement homes in your area and ask when they recommend. In my area, the LifeLine system is installed and billed by the local hospital's volunteer auxiliary. Calls are serviced by a national group, but that doesn't matter. But in some other areas, other systems might be preferred.

Just do not get a system that's a one-time payment and only auto-dials 911. That's very limited servicing, and hardly helpful for many people.

I know making the right choice for a medical alert system is not an easy decision and it sometimes can be quite confusing when bombarded with multiple systems to choose from. As the final choice is yours I recommend that you consider the following as it relates to you and your loved ones specific needs.

The first thing that I would consider is the reliability of the company that you ultimately choose. The companies that are established and have been around for a while will have a good Better Business Bureau rating. My opinion is that any company with a B+ or better rating should provide you with a satisfactory experience as well as a reliable product that will work when you most need it.

The second thing that I would look at is the type of contract that each particular company asks you to sign. Some companies try to force you into committing for a year or longer but in reality it is next to impossible to accurately predict how long you will need a medical alert system. I think it is best to choose companies that do not require you to lock into a contract for an extended period of time but choose a company that allows for month-to-month service.

Most companies charge anywhere from about $27 to $36 a month for a medical alert system and monthly monitoring. I have heard of some companies that charge less then this but I think their call center's are offshore and I question the wisdom of choosing a company with a foreign call center.

I don't want to recommend any specific product to you as there are several systems that will probably adequately satisfy your requirements. I can provide a web page with a list of systems that I found and I recommend it as a good place to start looking. It can be found at: http://www.lemurhub.com/MedicalAlertSystemsList

Good luck with your search and let me know if you have any additional questions.

Here's a little info on BBB. You'll do better trying to get actual recommendations for your local friends, doctors and hospitals.

I love the premise of this thread, "Our heads are spinning from reading the ads on the internet. Does anyone have an opinion about where to turn?"

May I share some knowledge and ideas that will help you discover which companies are the best? I too as a knowledgeable person have my head spin when I read all of the sites touting themselves on the web.

I also agree, even though we have an A+ rating with the BBB, that it is not a valid source to discover who is best. They will give most companies an A+ as long as you pay them and respond to your customer complaints. However, if someone has less than an "A rating" I would stay clear of that company. I can tell you that some of the most predatory marketing medical alarm companies on the web pay their dues and have an A+ rating too. Enough said!

Most of the companies I see mentioned here are companies that do a good job monitoring their clients.

I have personally tested all of the equipment being used by all of the companies and I have never found one not to be good. So don't worry about the equipment.

Prices vary widely among all of the companies. The largest of the companies charge the most due to their heavy television advertising. Their systems are good, but no better than any other out there.

Customer service is what really rules the land. But how can you know who is good? My advice is to talk to all of the representatives and order their brochures. If your gut tells you that you are being pressured by a salesman...steer clear of that company.

I've gone on too long here for my first post so here is my best tip:

Whether you like the company you are speaking to or not, don't order on the first call. Just tell them that you like what they have to say and that you will be calling a few more companies and call them back if they are the one you like. Those that are heavy sales oriented marketing companies will start to talk poorly of others or start to scare you about what can happen to your mother in the meantime. They will push you to sign up and give them your credit card. Beware! If they require your phone number or email address they will start to bother you with many calls.

Use your "gut instinct" and you will make a valid choice.

Oh, one more thing, in my 31 years in this industry I have never heard of one company that monitors their clients overseas or in India. One particular company likes to scare you that way...once again, beware.

I have noticed that a number of companies in this thread have anchor text pointing to their sites or good reviews that they have basically created themselves.

When you do call any of our companies decide if you like the attitude of the representative you are speaking with, was it difficult to get a brochure and did they pressure you.

I hope I have shed some light on the subject for your members.

Thanks again!

Cheers

I was surprised at how many of these companies exist, but had narrowed it to a handful. The one I chose was Lifeline. We just received our system about a week ago so it's too early to know how it will all work out, but the marketing and early contacts were all clear, polite and professional. So far, so good.

On the other hand, I was surprised and disappointed by Life Alert. This is the one endorsed by C. Everett Koop, the former U.S. Surgeon General. I respect and admire Dr. Koop so his endorsement was one I considered. It's possible that the service itself is fine -- I really don't know. But I found the initial marketing approach inadequate -- the website gives you little "real" info like cost and the 800 number cannot help. Their only role is to mail you a brochure. You can't even download it online.

Worse yet, the representative who called me back was misleading, if not downright dishonest. During the course of the conversation, the representative pressured me with scare tactics ranging from calling other companies "substandard" to telling me almost all others farmed their call centers out to India and the Phillipines. Then he topped it off with a story about someone who wanted to get the service for their friend but waited just a little too long and, of course, the friend died. Several times he warned me about "risking your life" by using other companies.

The final straw, however, was when he told me that Life Alert was endorsed by the U.S. Surgeon General's office. I immediately questioned that and he insisted it was true. I pressed him further and he admitted he was talking about Dr. Koop. A former SG, yes, but that's very different than being officially endorsed by the OFFICE of the CURRENT Surgeon General. When pressed further, he stuck to his story and told me Dr. Koop was "still affilated" with that office. The lie deteriorated to "he still has contacts", and finally to "he talks to people there sometimes." And all without ever backing off his insistence that "Life Alert is endorsed by the Surgeon General's Office." He finally got angry with me, got nasty, and hung up after huffing "Well, if you want to risk your life..." Sleazy, sleazy, sleazy.

Like I said, the service itself may be just fine. But anyone who uses this kind of sales approach will never get my business.