Best Voice-Activated Medical Alert Systems of 2024
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August 22, 2024
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What Is a Voice-Activated Medical Alert?
A voice-activated medical alert responds to voice commands in addition to the standard help button mechanism. Some of these systems, such as those from Medical Guardian, use wall-mounted help buttons that listen for your voice. Others, such as those from Aloe Care Health, have an extensive array of voice commands built into their base units.
Voice commands are a simple way to contact help during an emergency. Rather than pressing a physical button, all you need to do is say, “Emergency.” (The specific words to place a call may vary depending on the medical alert system.)
Voice-activated buttons are especially helpful for seniors who may struggle to use their medical alert button. If someone has arthritis or dexterity problems, for example, calling for help verbally may be quicker or easier than pressing a button.
How We Chose the Best Voice-Activated Medical Alert Systems
| Companies evaluated | 8 |
|---|---|
| Hours of research | 100+ |
| Hours of product testing | 500+ |
| Ranking criteria | 5 |
| Finalists chosen | 3 |
To figure out the best voice-activated medical alert systems, we tested the following criteria:
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- Voice recognition: A voice-activated system is nearly worthless if it can’t pick up your specific commands, so we tested each system to make sure it could discern between signal phrases. This ensures you won’t accidentally place emergency calls.
- Volume level: Help buttons typically have connection ranges of 1,000 feet or more, but voice commands are a bit trickier. I tested all these systems throughout my house to ensure that, even without buttons, they’d have you covered just about everywhere.
- Response times: Any medical alert system is a communicative tool that connects you to emergency help, so we looked for systems with response times of 30 seconds or less.
- Affordability: When buying a medical alert system, you should never be required to sign a long-term contract. All the providers on this list allow month-to-month subscriptions.
- Additional features: We looked for devices with extra features in addition to calling for help, such as nonemergency calls, temperature checks, reminders, and even entertainment options.
FYI: Are you looking for a traditional medical alert system? Check out my picks for this year’s best medical alert system.
Top Voice-Activated Medical Alert Systems
1. Alexa Together - Safety and Entertainment Features
What We Like Most:
- $19.99 per month
- Video calling capabilities
- Controlled through one’s voice
- In-depth features for caregivers
Overview
Offered by Amazon, Alexa Together turns your Echo device into a full-fledged medical alert system. With this service, users can contact urgent response agents, place drop-in calls to loved ones, and listen to music — all through a series of voice commands.
To make use of Alexa Together, you simply need to purchase an Echo device. We recommend the Echo Show ($129), which comes with a six-month free trial of Alexa Together. After this trial, Alexa Together costs $19.99 per month.
Once you have your Echo device set up, you can utilize a variety of commands:
- Alexa, call for help.
- This command will utilize the urgent response feature, connecting the user to monitoring agents who will assess the user’s situation and contact the appropriate help.
- Alexa, call Dad.
- This command will place a video or voice call to the contact you’ve selected, provided they also have an Echo device.
- Alexa, play disco music.
- This command will play a curated playlist of music.
Alexa’s features are highly varied; however, in our experience, the voice commands are very intuitive and easy to understand.
To learn more about the features of Alexa Together, read our Alexa Together review.
Pros
- Six-month free trial
- Video and voice calling features
- All features controllable through voice commands
- 1,000-foot range
- Optional fall detection
Cons
- Additional Echo devices required for video calls
2. Aloe Care Health - Best Voice Commands
What We Like Most:
- Voice Commands
- Useful Caregiver App
- Check-In System
- Optional Fall Detection
Overview
Aloe Care Health is unusual because it doesn’t fit the standard model of in-home base unit plus wearable. Instead, the system is built on a series of motion sensors and a central console to cover your entire home. In my series of test calls using Aloe Care Health, its monitoring team answered in an average of 19 seconds — a pretty quick response time.
My Aloe Care Health system allowed me to place emergency calls, check my home’s temperature, and even make nonemergency calls to preassigned contacts using only voice commands. This was one of my favorite features since not every call requires first responders. With this feature, you could easily contact a loved one for minor issues. With the Aloe Care Health app, caregivers can place direct calls to their loved one’s system.
Aloe Care Health prices are about middle of the road; its basic in-home system costs $29.99 per month. You must purchase the system rather than leasing it, however, which means there will be some start-up costs.
Pros
- Sophisticated voice features
- Detailed caregiver tracking
- Nonemergency calls
- No long-term contracts
- Optional wearable help buttons
- Systems from $24.99 per month
- Wall-mounted fall detection
Cons
- One-time equipment charges
- No option for wearable fall detection
3. Medical Guardian - Best Add-Ons
What We Like Most:
- No long-term contracts
- Quick response times
- Fall detection available
- 24/7 U.S. based monitoring
Overview
Medical Guardian is a well-known company with a wide range of medical alerts to suit every need and lifestyle. Medical Guardian systems don’t have the same range of voice commands as Aloe Care Health, but the company’s in-home systems can be paired with additional wall buttons that can contact the emergency response center when you say, “Call Medical Guardian.”
If you prefer not to wear a help button (or you’re prone to misplacing it), then these voice-activated buttons can be a great way to stay safe. Each button has a 1,350-foot range from the base station, so you’ll likely be able to keep yourself safe throughout your entire home.
Medical Guardian prices start at $29.95 per month, and the voice-activated wall buttons each cost $5 per month. I also appreciate that Medical Guardian requires no long-term contracts or equipment purchases, so you can cancel your service at any time and return your equipment.
To learn more about my experience with Medical Guardian, including its mobile systems, check out my full Medical Guardian review.
Pros
- All-in-one mobile system
- Landline and cellular options
- Smartwatch option
- Accurate location tracking
- Fall detection available on most systems
- No long-term contracts
- Free month of service on annual subscriptions
- Up to seven-day mobile battery life
Cons
- Occasional false alarms with fall detection
- Limited activity monitoring