LifeFone Medical Alert System Review

LifeFone is a great starting point if you’re trying to choose a medical alert system. It’s among the most affordable medical alert systems we’ve found and has one of the best GPS units in the game. 

We like that LifeFone offers support for older adults and their caregivers with an array of medical alert systems and emergency response devices too. 

From at-home systems to a full kit for smoke, fire, and carbon monoxide detection, you can expect competitive pricing, friendly customer service, and a whole buffet of product options from Lifefone.

To review LifeFone Medical Alert, we combed through the LifeFone website, watched every video, and read every FAQ to better understand the ins and outs. We read what LifeFone customers had to say about using the service, and we checked its Better Business Bureau profile for red flags. Read our full methodology to better understand how we rate and review products.

LifeFone provides the option for flexible payments. You can choose to pay monthly, quarterly, or annually. And while monthly payments are divided out into smaller chunks, you’ll pay less total when you choose the annual option. In our book, it’s one of the most affordable medical alert systems out there.

Fortunately, LifeFone will provide an additional pendant and monitoring for your spouse for no additional charge. Fall detection for spouses is an additional $5 a month, one of the many reasons it earned a top spot for medical alerts with the best fall detection.

Our favorite things about LifeFone’s pricing are no installation fees, no activation fees, no contracts, and no complicated cancellation policies. Pricing is listed right on the website (which means no pesky sales calls), and if you decide you don’t want the system anymore, you can cancel anytime by mail, email, or phone. 

If you’ve already paid for a year up front and you cancel halfway through, all you have to do is return the equipment and LifeFone will refund the money for the unused months. If you do become a long-time customer, though, you can rest assured that LifeFone’s price lock guarantee will keep your monthly fees the same from year to year, unless you choose to upgrade your system.

The Lifefone’s at-home Medical Alert systems use a base station that plugs into the wall. 

Once installed and ready to go, the base station provides a direct line to the monitoring center. When you press the emergency button on your pendant, wristband, or the base station itself, you’ll get a helpful monitoring pro to assist you with your emergency.

You can choose a cellular connection or one through your home’s landline. Either way, the system has a 32-hour backup battery to get you through power outages or electrical problems

All systems also come with your choice of a waterproof emergency button pendant or watch that you can use up to 1,300 feet away from the base unit. If you choose a fall detection pendant, you’ll have a range of only up to 600 feet. When you press the help button on the alert device, it sends a signal to the base unit, and the base unit will call the LifeFone monitoring center for you. 

All medical alert pendant and watch help buttons have batteries designed to last two to five years, and LifeFone monitors their battery life for you. When LifeFone agents detect that the battery life has dropped below 20%, they will send you a fully-charged replacement device at no cost, so you never have to worry about changing batteries.

The At-Home & On-the-Go GPS pendant from LifeFone gives you the freedom to leave the house, city, and state without being far away from help. It’s like a tiny wearable base station you can tuck under your shirt or into your pocket. 

Just like the LifeFone base station, you can call for help directly from the device using two-way talk. It also has vibration feedback for those with hearing or vision impairments. 

Its battery lasts up to five days, making it a good companion for day trips out of the house or short weekends away. Plus, it comes in two colors to match your style. 

At $39.95 per month, it is more expensive than the other systems from LifeFone. But it’s a deal compared to similar GPS medical alert devices.

Add-on devices include fall detection, a pendant help button that looks like jewelry, lock boxes, a wall-mounted help button, a beaded lanyard, smoke/fire detectors, and carbon monoxide detectors. Add-on services include caregiver tools like check-in calls by LifeFone agents, medication reminders, and a mobile app.

LifeFone’s mobile alert app turns your phone into a medical alert device with a simple download. 

This add-on feature is available for LifeFone users or caregivers. It includes a panic button and “Concern” mode to keep a LifeFone agent on the line with you like a virtual escort until you feel safe. 

Like LifeFone’s regular services, if the monitoring center receives an alert from you and agents are unable to communicate with you for whatever reason, they will dispatch help to your location immediately.

The FamilyGuard mobile app also includes GPS location so you get arrival alerts to let you know when a family member has arrived at their destination, and the company has announced that this app will soon include geofencing and “lead foot” alerts to help you know when teens may not be driving safely. The individual mobile app is $7.95 for non-Lifefone subscribers, and costs $5.95 for current subscribers. The FamilyGuard app starts at $9.95.

Setting up your LifeFone is as simple as plugging it into a wall outlet. All units come preprogrammed and ready to go.

Once you have your unit plugged in, you press the help button and an agent will walk you through the rest of the setup and testing process. Agents will make sure your medical alert button pendant or watch works in all areas of your home.

If we were to create our own medical alert system, LifeFone would be it. It's simple to install, it has quick response times, and it's easy to cancel at any time. We like the straightforward pricing and wide variety of add-on options and devices for helping seniors and their families have more peace of mind, like fall detection, smoke detection, and the mobile app.

Like any consumer, we always love a better deal, so we wouldn't mind an even lower monthly price. Still, as it is you get a lot for your money, and LifeFone outperforms competitors on enough fronts to make the moderately higher fees worth it.

• The Best Medical Alert Systems
• Bay Alarm Medical Alert System Review
• Senior Safety: Frequently Asked Questions
• Best Safety Devices for Seniors
• Best Safety Wearables for Seniors

1. Consumer Affairs, “Top 734 Reviews and Complaints about LifeFone" 
2. National Institute on Aging, "Prevent Falls and Fractures"