Medical Guardian Review: A No-Contract Medical Alert Device?

Hi, my name is Vicki Tilley and I'm a physical therapist and a geriatric clinical specialist. Today I'd like to review the features of Medical Guardian products, one of the leading medical alert systems on the market. So please like, subscribe and let's get started. Medical Guardian was founded in 2005 and is one of the leading medical alert companies. This brand offers a lot of premium services and accessories to help you customize your experience. You don't have to sign a service contract to use Medical Guardian. Instead, you can cancel at any time and get a prorated refund for unused service days. All equipment is water resistant and comes with a free lifetime warranty against manufacturer's defects. An extra wear and tear and accident warranty is available for about seven dollars per month. The NCOA reviews team has tested all of Medical Guardian's current systems. On average, the monitoring center agents answered calls from the devices within 26 to 50 seconds, which is relatively fast. Everyone we talked to was friendly and easy to understand. I'll explain more testing results as we review each system. Medical Guardian offers a landline in-home system called the MG Home Classic and a cellular in-home system called the MG Home Cellular. They have the same core features like waterproof wearable buttons, a 32-hour backup battery and about a 1300-foot range between the wearable button and the base station. They also work with the same accessories, which I'll talk about in a minute. Other than type of connection, the main difference is price. The MG Home Classic is a little more affordable, starting around $33 per month with no upfront fees. The MG Home Cellular starts around $38 per month plus a one-time fee of $150. The MG Home Cellular also includes a smart information button, which you can press to confirm your device is connected to a cellular network and working correctly. By the way, you don't have to pay extra for cellular service or own a cell phone. Medical Guardian takes care of all that. And as for accessories, there are a ton to choose from. More than you can find with any other medical alert company, it's great to be able to customize the system to your needs. You can get wall buttons, which I recommend placing around the home in areas where falls might occur, just in case you fall when you aren't wearing the pendant or wristband. Or, if you prefer, you can get voice-activated wall buttons. Extra pendant and wristband buttons are also available in either black or white. Give one to your spouse or anyone else who lives with you so they're protected too. The only downside is that each of these accessories increases the cost of your monthly bill. If you're on a budget, you may want to compare Medical Guardian to Bay Alarm Medical. Bay Alarm Medical offers most of the same accessories, but for a one-time fee instead of a monthly fee. I'll leave a link in the description below to our Bay Alarm Medical review so you can learn more. Medical Guardian also has fall detection. It's available for an extra $10 per month. It comes in a separate pendant that replaces your other wearable buttons. This fall detection device can't be worn on the wrist, but we'll discuss some other options you can wear on your wrist in just a moment. Now let's talk about Medical Guardian's mobile alert systems. First up is the MG Mini, which is available in four colors. It's a small but powerful device that lasts up to five days on a single charge. It pairs with a smartphone app so caregivers can check the device's battery, cellular connection, and GPS location. The MG Mini even tracks your steps like a pedometer so caregivers can see if you've been more or less active than usual. And fall detection can be added for an extra $10 per month. During our tests, the MG Mini detected most falls and accurately reported its GPS location. Our testers like how the device announces when it's charging so you know it's been correctly placed on the charging cradle. Another convenient feature is false alarm cancellation. If, for example, you drop the device and accidentally set off its fall detection, you can cancel the alarm before a call is placed to the monitoring center. But don't worry if the call goes through, just tell them it's a false alarm. The MG Mini starts around $40 per month plus a one-time equipment charge of about $150. For those who prefer to wear a medical alert system on your wrist, Medical Guardian has two mobile options. The newest is the MG Mini Lite, which has a three-day battery life and shares many features with the MG Mini, including GPS tracking, activity tracking, fall detection, false alarm cancellation, and a caregiver app. Like the MG Mini, the MG Mini Lite detected most of our test falls and accurately tracked our testers locations. It starts at about $45 per month with a one-time equipment fee of about $150. If you want all the bells and whistles, then you may prefer a medical alert smartwatch like the MG Move. It has a touchscreen where you can select different apps, including a pedometer, weather app, and of course an SOS button. You can also press and hold a button on the side of the watch to place a call to the monitoring center. For an extra $5 per month, you can access a messaging app, which lets you text with caregivers, and a reminder app that helps you keep track of appointments and medications. The MG Move is water resistant, has a 24-hour battery life, and includes GPS tracking, which was accurate during our tests. As with other Medical Guardian devices, the MG Move can be equipped with fall detection for an additional $10 per month. The MG Move starts around $40 per month and includes a one-time equipment charge of about $200. Medical Guardian is a favorite among the NCOA reviews team. It consistently performs well during testing and the different accessories offer additional protection and peace of mind. Some features like caregiver messaging on the MG Move are completely unique to Medical Guardian. If you're looking for a medical alert system that's reliable and customizable, this could be the right brand for you. Thanks for joining me today and I hope you found this helpful. If you like this video, then please subscribe to our YouTube channel. And if you have any questions, drop us a comment. Thanks so much and have a great day. Bye!