Medical Guardian Active Guardian Medical Alert System Review

The Active Guardian medical alert device is designed for people who are active but have health conditions that make them more likely to fall, faint or need medical or emergency assistance. It’s small enough to be worn around your neck on a lanyard or clipped to your belt or waistband.

If you need help, simply press the button on the surface of the device, and it connects to a dispatcher at a Medical Guardian monitoring center via AT&T cellular towers. The dispatcher speaks through a small-but-powerful two-way speaker on the device, asking if you need help. The device features GPS connectivity, so if you do need assistance, the dispatcher will call 911 and direct emergency responders to your exact location.

You can order the device over the phone or online. A representative can assist you and answer questions via phone or the live chat function on the website.

The device, charger, belt clip and lanyard arrive in a small box with clear printed instructions. As far as the setup goes, just plug in the charger, place the device in it for a few hours and it’s ready to use.

Medical Guardian

This device is designed for people who are out and about, and since it relies on cellular towers to connect for help, it features a wide range of use. I tested the device in my home, in a shopping mall and at the beach. Each time a dispatcher connected within 10 seconds and spoke clearly to me through the two-way speaker in the device.

A drawback: If you try to call for help from an area with weak or no cell service, the device will not work. And although the GPS tracking function can determine your location, it isn’t exact. If you need help in a mall, for instance, the GPS cannot identify precisely where you are in that mall—you’d have to tell the dispatcher your exact location.

For an additional $10 a month, the device includes an automatic fall detection function. If it senses a fall (using an internal accelerometer), it will immediately alert a dispatcher. This feature can be particularly helpful because falls are the leading cause of injuries for older adults, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

To test this function, I pretended to fall on a weekend night. An automated voice immediately announced from the device that a fall had been detected and, within 10 seconds, a live dispatcher spoke to me through the two-way speaker, asking if I needed help. After I told her I was okay and didn’t need help, she questioned me one more time, confirmed my name and then disconnected.

Had I not responded after falling, the dispatcher would’ve called the cell phone number I provided when I set up my account with Medical Guardian. If I did not answer that call, either, the dispatcher would have immediately called 911 and shared the GPS location of my device with the emergency responders so they could get to me.

As the instruction sheet notes, this function doesn’t detect every fall. In fact, I simulated two falls the device did not register.

A plus: You can cancel a call to the dispatcher after a fall if you don’t need help. Once I dropped the device accidentally and the automated voice announced a fall had been detected. I immediately pressed the call button once to cancel the call to the dispatcher (the device instructions say call cancelation must be done within 12 seconds) and went about my day.

The Active Guardian device is very easy to use. It has one round gray button on its surface to press in an emergency. A blue light flashes around the button every 5 seconds or so, making it easy to find even in a dark room.

The device needs to be recharged every few days, which can be potentially problematic for people who already find it hard to remember to charge their phones and other gadgets. However, a red light flashes and a voice alert sounds when the battery starts running low—two clear and obvious reminders.

This device gets a thumbs up on connectivity. I pressed the help button on a weekday morning, an afternoon and a weekend night. The dispatchers connected with me in about 10 seconds each time—reassuringly fast.

Medical Guardian

When I wore the Active Guardian around my neck on the lanyard, I found it a bit clunky—it’s not exactly fashionable. Instead, I preferred to attach it to my waistband with the accompanying clip, so it was reachable but not obvious.

A downside: The device works only if the user remembers to wear it. You must have the presence of mind to put it on every day or when leaving the house, which is an obstacle for people who are forgetful. (Granted, this is true of most mobile medical alert devices.)

The Medical Guardian Active Guardian costs $44.95 a month and includes a free month of service and a lockbox. (The lockbox stores your house or apartment key securely, featuring an entry code that emergency responders can use in lieu of damaging your door to force entry into your home when you need help.)

Read the cancellation policy carefully. To cancel your subscription, you must call Medical Guardian directly (the number is provided on the website and in the mailed instruction materials). Cancellations aren’t final until all equipment is returned.

Medical Guardian offers an array of medical alert systems to fit most individual’s needs.

For people who mostly stay close to home, the Home Guardian system consists of a base station that sits on a counter or table and features a large emergency button you can press if you need medical help. The Classic Guardian is another base station option that connects to a home landline and comes with a watch-like band with an emergency button, as well as a pendant to wear around your neck.

For people consistently on the go, the Mini Guardian is a small device that clips to a belt or waistband. The larger Mobile Guardian is another portable option designed to slip into your purse or pocket.

Though it’s not foolproof—the device won’t work without cell service and the automatic fall detection doesn’t register absolutely every fall—the Active Guardian is easy to use and its dispatchers respond quickly. In most situations, I felt confident that it could provide fast emergency medical attention when needed.

Medical Guardian

Product Weight: 2.6 oz

Product Dimensions: 2.80 x 1.71 x .75 in

Material: Water-resistant plastic

Features: Two-way voice system

Connectivity: AT&T 4G LTE cellular network with nationwide coverage

Battery Life: Up to 5 days