How We Research, Test and Review Medical Alert Systems

Here’s how we vet and test medical alert systems

1. Research the marketplace. In addition to reviewing existing products that are available, we ask experts: Which companies are popular and why? What are the best types of medical alerts for older adults? Which products have the best reviews — and are these reviews legitimate? 
2. Recruit testers ages 50-plus to test and rate each device. Our testers provide unbiased feedback on how the devices and their components look and feel, how easy they are to set up and if they’re easy to charge.
3. Purchase and test each device in our lab. Using lab-controlled tests, we assess features such as fall detection, GPS location tracking (when relevant) and audio clarity.
4. Contact monitoring center agents. We place test calls to each company to gauge how quickly the device connects to a real person. We also note whether the operators are friendly and helpful.

Testers set up each medical alert device according to its manual and rate the setup process for each device.

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Here are the types of devices we test

GPS-enabled devices

• These devices use GPS (global positioning technology) to pinpoint your exact location should you need help. They are designed to be worn throughout the day, including in the shower.
• You can wear a GPS-enabled device in several ways, including as a pendant around your neck, on your belt clip or as a bracelet. While their appearance varies by company, GPS devices have a button you can press in an emergency to connect to a monitoring center. The device’s two-way speakers let you speak directly with the monitoring center operator. 
• Many of these devices have an optional fall detection feature that automatically alerts the monitoring center when a fall occurs, even if you don’t press the button. (Note: fall detection is not 100 percent accurate.)

GPS-enabled smartwatches

• These devices look like regular smartwatches you wear on your wrist. They come with GPS technology and a help button that connects you to a monitoring center, as well as extra features you likely won’t find in other medical alert devices. For example, some devices also let you track your steps, communicate with caregivers and set medication reminders. Most of them have a touch screen.
• Additional features vary by company. Some models measure your heart rate, monitor blood oxygen levels or track the weather. 
• GPS-enabled smartwatches tend to have a shorter battery life than other medical alert devices, typically lasting only 24 hours. That’s because smartwatches have more advanced features that drain their batteries faster. In comparison, GPS-enabled devices with batteries can last up to 18 days without a charge.

At-home devices

• At-home medical alert devices have a base unit you plug into the wall that syncs with a help button you wear as a necklace or bracelet. This type of device doesn’t have GPS capabilities, which means you must press the wearable help button within a certain distance of the base unit in your home — usually about 1,000 feet — for it to contact the monitoring center. 
• These devices tend to have loud speakers, large help buttons and optional fall detection pendants. They connect to the monitoring center via either a cellular network (such as AT&T or Verizon) or an existing landline. Because they work with landlines, at-home devices can be good options for older adults living in rural areas with spotty cellular service.

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1. Experience 1
2. Experience 2
3. Experience 3
4. Experience 4
5. Experience 5

Products that perform well on these metrics make it onto our lists of the best medical alert systems

Device setup

• We start by having our lab team order medical alert devices and send them to our older adult testers, or by asking our testers to order the devices themselves. After testers receive the device, they set it up using the included user manual. They then rate how easy it is to set up the device and follow the instructions on a 1 to 5 scale, with 5 being the easiest.
• Testers also charge each device and note features such as battery life and how the device indicates a low battery.

Response time

• As part of our assessments, we press the device’s help button to place test calls to each company’s monitoring center and time how long it takes to reach a human. We do this at least three times for each device.

Monitoring center quality

• After initiating a call to the monitoring center, testers note how easy it is to cancel the call before a live operator answers. When operators answer, testers rate each call’s audio clarity by assessing how well they can hear the operator’s instructions
• Testers also score the operator’s tone and professionalism. Was the operator friendly? Did they answer any questions we asked?

Comfort for wearable devices

• To get a clear picture of the daily experience with these devices, testers rate each one on how comfortable each device is to wear. They also assess additional features. How heavy is the device? Could you see yourself using this device every day? Why or why not? For watches, do they fit comfortably on your wrist? 
• Testers also consider each device’s appearance. Does it look like a clinical medical alert device? Does it blend in with the tester’s clothes? We rate discretion and comfort on a 1 to 5 scale, with 5 being the most discreet and most comfortable.

Smart Picks testers assess the design of all wearable medical alert devices, noting whether the devices are comfortable, discreet and adjustable.

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Fall detection

• We also do controlled assessments in our lab. For these evaluations, our lab team conducts a series of test falls for each device that includes fall detection. We conduct each of these test falls at least three times. If a device correctly registers nine of the 12 test falls, we give it a passing score. We also note the devices that offer best-in-class automatic fall detection. For safety reasons, lab testers simulate four different falls on a fall mat.

These are the four types of falls our lab testers assess:

• Fall from a chair: Tester sits in a chair and falls forward.
• Standing fall: Tester stands, then drops to their knees and braces for the fall with their arms outstretched.
• Lateral standing fall: Tester stands, then falls sideways.
• Backward fall: Tester stands and falls backward.

GPS location tracking for wearable devices

• To test a mobile medical alert system’s GPS tracking accuracy, our lab team travels to three locations people may visit daily: a grocery store, a hardware store and an airport parking lot. During these assessments, our lab tester presses the device's help button and connects to the monitoring center. The operator then confirms the device's location, and we rate the operator’s accuracy.

As part of our assessments, testers rate how easy it is to charge each medical alert device.

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Audio quality 

• We assess the audio quality and volume of wearable mobile devices by asking testers to note how well they can hear and whether monitoring center agents can hear them through the device’s two-way speaker.
• We also assess the speaker clarity of in-home devices. Speaker clarity is important because in-home systems have base units with two-way speakers you use to communicate with monitoring center agents. If the speaker is too weak, and if you’re too far away, you may not be able to hear the agent. So, to evaluate audio and speaker quality, we perform a distance-based test, in which an older adult tester moves progressively farther from the device and notes changes in audio clarity. Testers also note when they can no longer hear the agent and when the agent can no longer hear them.

Have questions or feedback about our process? Email us at AARPSmartPicks@aarp.org.