Fall injuries can be devastating for anyone, especially for the elderly. In addition to the pain and potential for injury, the risk of not being found for extended periods is a major issue. According to Philips (Life Line Medical Alert Systems), over 13.5 million people over 65 will fall in a single year. Preventing falls in the elderly can be helped by activating a fall alarm system.

Fall alarms are really a service.

We did some research on medical alarm systems and here’s what we discovered.

Fall alarms are really a service, not dissimilar to a mobile phone or a home alarm service. They give you a gadget to wear which either has a button to press or the more sophisticated ones simply detects that a fall has happened.

In the even of a fall, the gadget dials up a call center and they send help, or alert emergency services.

Which gadgets are the best?

In researching this topic we came across Jeff Miller, who professes to be a pioneer in the industry (which we are not disputing – Jeff seems like a nice guy, we just haven’t had the opportunity to meet him personally). Jeff has bought all the different gadgets from his competitors and tested them. His conclusion: they all seem to do the job – it’s really the service side of the program that makes the difference.

Click here to check out Jeff’s website and a short video that we found quite informative.

What should you ask before making a purchase?

We also tried to find a comparison of the different systems on the market and it was surprisingly difficult (if you know of one please let us know!). Concerning Age has created a basic comparison for some systems and also offered this handy list of questions for prospective system buyers:

What are the complete upfront/one-time costs?
Is there a contract? If so, for how long?
What is the cancellation policy?
Do they offer a trial period? What are the terms?
Who does the monitoring? Are they certified? What are their hours of operation?
What is the range of the equipment?
How do you get the equipment repaired? Is there an equipment warranty? What are the terms?

The monthly fees seem to fall into the $25 – $40 range – your zip code is also a determining factor.