Medical Alert vs. Aloe Care Health

More and more seniors opt to retain their independence as they age. However, living alone may mean being prone to accidents in the home, let alone medical emergencies for seniors who are clinically diagnosed with a disease. With this risk in mind, the challenge for aging in place is the seniors’ ability to remain in their own home safely.

Medical alert systems are specifically designed to address the needs of the elderly to have easy access to help when an emergency occurs. These systems put seniors in the best position to maintain their independence, while reassuring them to provide immediate help at the touch of a button.

Many seniors consider investing in such tools and technology to ensure their safety and protection. This allows them to have peace of mind and more importantly enables them to lead a safe, comfortable life as they age.

We crafted this guide to provide you with a comprehensive comparison of two leading medical alert system providers, Medical Alert and Aloe Care to help you evaluate the cost and main features of their systems.

	Medical Alert	Aloe Care Health
Overall Grade	Overall Grade: A	Overall Grade: A
Costs
Monthly Cost Price	$22.95 - $42.95	$24.99 - $49.99
Device Cost	$49	$99.99 - $349.99
Shipping Fee	$NaN - $NaN	n/a
Cancellation Fee	No fee	No fee
Fall Detection Fee	$10	n/a
Cellular Fee	n/a	n/a
Spouse Monitoring	$0	$29.99
Features
Connectivity Option	Cellular or Landline	Cellular or Landline
Two-way Speaker & Microphone	Yes	Yes
Home-based Back Up Battery Life	30 hours	4-6 hours
On-the-go Battery Life	120 hours	120 hours
Button Range	800 ft	200 ft or 200 ft
Water Resistant	Yes	Yes
GPS Tracking	Yes, some plans	Yes, some plans
Caregiver App	Yes	Yes
Response Time	30 seconds	30 seconds or 30 seconds
More Details	See All Plans	See All Plans

Medical Alert

Pros:

• Budget-friendly monitoring fees
• No long-term contracts
• 30-day free trial with a full money-back guarantee
• Free Medical Alert Connect app
• Free Lockbox on all system plans

Cons:

• Limited range capacity
• Offers standard features that other companies offer
• Charges one-time equipment fee of $49

Aloe Care Health

Pros:

• Reasonable monthly monitoring fees
• Advanced Caregiver app features
• 24/7 emergency monitoring
• Voice-activated system
• Fall detection fee is included in the basic monthly monitoring fee
• Motion sensors availability with their Total Care plan
• 30-day trial

Cons:

• One-time equipment fees required
• Limited device range

Medical Alert Overview

Medical Alert is based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and is a part of Connect America, a company which has over 35 years of experience in the medical alert industry. They are able to establish over 15 field service and support locations across the U.S.

Medical Alert offers the best value for their services. Their systems are designed to provide reliable monitoring with the most urgent features of a medical alert system that seniors essentially need. They also have budget-friendly rates and comprehensive pricing plans.

Medical Alert offers three system plans, all of which come with no activation fee and low-cost monthly monitoring fees. They also offer a very affordable protection plan that costs only &1 per month, which covers system replacement in case of theft, loss or damage.

Medical Alert Systems

Home-System Landline

Home-System Landline is Medical Alert’s least expensive system among their lineup of plans, having a starting cost of $22.95 per month. It comes with an in-home base unit which connects to a standard landline connection, and a water-resistant wearable help button in the form of a neck pendant or a wristband. The device has an 800-ft range as measured from the base console. It also has a reliable battery that can provide up to 30 hours of power in case of a power outage. An optional fall detection may be added to this plan for only $10.

Home-System Cellular

For seniors who prefer cellular connection for their medical alert system, this plan presents itself as a good option. The Home System-Cellular can be purchased for a monthly fee of $32.95. It requires a strong connection to AT&T network, so you may have to check if your area has a good cellular signal first before subscribing to this plan. This system has the same range and features as the landline model. The water-proof wrist and neck pendant have an 800-foot range that provides secure coverage in all areas of your home. An optional upgrade for an automatic fall detection is charged at a standard rate of $10 every month, which is the standard price in the industry.

Mobile System

Medical Alert’s Mobile system is the best option for seniors who maintain an active lifestyle. This plan costs $42.95 on a monthly subscription. The plan comes with a compact, water-resistant mobile device that allows immediate access to Medical Alert’s monitoring center with just one press on the help button, that comes as a wearable wristband or pendant. It mainly features a two-way speaker that allows a clear communication with the emergency response operators, and a GPS location tracker that can readily locate the user in case of an emergency. The battery has a capacity of up to 5-days, which is a perfect choice for seniors who want a device they can use for long periods of time. This system can also be upgraded to have fall detection monitoring for $10 a month.

Aloe Care Health Overview

Aloe Care Health is among the newest companies to enter the medical alert industry, venturing into the market in 2020. While fresh, Aloe Care is already getting ahead as it powers its systems with advanced technology. Their devices mainly feature voice activation, pendant-free fall detection, and motion sensors, to name a few. The at-home medical alert packages can also monitor indoor temperature, air quality, and activity.

Aloe Care Health’s rates are relatively high, with monitoring fees starting at $24.99 up to $49.99 a month, and equipment fees that range from $99-$349. However, given the unique features present in Aloe Care Health systems, its value justifies the steep cost.

What we like about their costs and contracts is that they don't require a long-term agreement, and users are free to cancel their services at any time. Automatic fall detection is also already included in their monthly subscription fee, unlike most providers that charge a standard monthly fee for this feature on top of the base price.

Medical Alert Systems

Mobile Companion

Mobile Companion is a lightweight, pocket-sized device equipped with a fall sensor and two-way voice communication. The device also has built-in GPS tracking that can locate the user’s whereabouts real-time. The battery can last up to 5 days on a single charge. The monthly subscription for this service is $24.99 a month, with an initial equipment fee of $99.

Essentials

Aloe Care Health Essentials comes with Smart Hub, a voice-activated base unit, and a wearable Care Button that comes as a wristband or a lanyard. This home-based system costs $29.99 a month with a one-time device cost of $149.99.

The device connects to the AT&T connection. The Smart Hub is equipped with motion, temperature, and air quality sensors. It also has a button to trigger an alarm in the event of an emergency to alert an emergency operator at Aloe Care’s professional monitoring center. The Care Button is a wearable device that has a range of 200ft and can also be used to trigger an alarm.

Essentials Plus

The Essentials Plus costs $39.99 a month with a one-time fee of $249.99 for the equipment. The plan generally works as an upgraded version of the Essentials, as it includes a mobile companion. It also comes with a Smart Hub base that is voice-activated and has built-in motion, temperature, and air quality sensors. Additionally, it includes a wearable Care Button which you can press in case of an emergency to alert the monitoring center. The device range is up to 200ft from the base unit.

Total Care

Aloe Care's Total Care package is the most expensive they offer which costs $49.99 a month with a one-time device cost of $349.99. This system is an upgraded version of their Essentials Plus package, which includes the Smart Hub, care button, fall detection sensor, mobile companion, and two motion sensors. This compact system also functions as an on-the-go system that protects you anywhere you go. It operates with the AT&T LTE coverage nationwide, so you are protected anywhere you go as long as there is a strong cellular connection. As this plan includes two additional mobile security features which are the motion sensors and automatic fall detection, it provides an extra layer of protection that comes in handy in any medical emergencies.

Medical Alert and Aloe Care Health are two of the most recognized names in the medical alert industry. Upon careful review and objective assessment, we ultimately find that Medical Alert provides a more affordable option that users could surely appreciate in the long run.

Medical Alert also offers straightforward systems with an affordable monthly rate which ranges from $22.95-$42.95 for their monitoring. On the contrary, Aloe Care has a cost range of $24.99-$49.99, not mentioning the expensive equipment cost that needs to be paid upfront. Over time, this price can add up to a great cost difference, which can be financially stressful for customers.

What we like about Medical Alert is that they give the highest value for their systems at an affordable price, with no additional and hidden fees.

While these two companies commit to high-quality monitoring and protection through their systems, a great difference can be noted in how they designed their devices. Medical Alert’s systems are simple and straightforward, building only the most urgent features of a medical alert system. Aloe Care Health, on the other hand, provides convenience with its modern systems particularly highlighting their voice-activated buttons, pendant-free fall detection, motion sensors, and more advanced tech for their in-home systems.

However, Aloe Care offers a restrictive range capacity that is only capped at 200 ft., as compared to the 800-ft device range of Medical Alert which is good enough for a standard home. It also has a more reliable battery, which can be used for up to 30 hours for their in-home system. Aloe Care only has a 4-6 hour battery backup for the same system.

Medical Alert’s devices have two-way communication, can connect to either landline or cellular connection, have GPS location tracking, and are compatible with fall detection features and caregiver app. All their devices are also water-resistant and are safe to use in the shower where most falls occur.

Monitoring Center

A medical alert system only performs as good as the quality of their monitoring center. The monitoring center serves as the brains of all the devices, so it is necessary to check on the standards of the monitoring center prior to making a purchase.

Upon review, Medical Alert and Aloe Care both have monitoring centers that operate 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and provide nationwide coverage across all 50 states in the country,

When it comes to third-party certifications, Medical Alert connects to a UL-listed monitoring center, where highly trained responders dispatch immediate help as soon as they receive an alert.Their operators utilize International Language Line, which enables Medical Alert to offer real-time assistance in over 140 different languages. Aloe Care keeps the competition on a par, as their monitoring center is also TMA Five Diamond Certified, which says a lot about their monitoring and response standard.

For their response time, we have recorded the same 30-second response time for both companies.

OUR PICK

Medical Alert and Aloe Care Health both offer reliable and tested medical alert systems that are supported by U.S-based monitoring centers. However, they have significant differences that we have noted upon our assessment.

As Aloe Care has just entered the industry in 2020, Medical Alert’s longer years of experience prove their time-tested effectiveness when it comes to delivering their products and services. In terms of affordability, Medical Alert also beats Aloe Care as they offer budget-friendly rates that suit the value of their systems. This can add up to a significant amount over time, so choosing Medical Alert may actually save you lots of money in the long run.

While we are impressed with the features and tech offered by Aloe Care, we put in our word for Medical Alert because they have all the necessary features for reliable monitoring minus the bells and whistles. We have high regard for the exceptional monitoring service of both providers, as they give independent seniors peace of mind with their 24/7 professional monitoring and their fast response time. However, given the many reasons that Medical Alert stands out for this comparison with Aloe Care, our pick would go for the one that offers cost-efficiency and a high value for your money.