Medical Guardian: Plans, Features & Pricing

Medical Guardian is a family-oriented medical alert system company that prides itself on offering innovative products and services that benefit its customers. Founded in 2005 in Pennsylvania, the company has grown to compete with some of the longest-standing in the industry, such as Life Alert and Bay Alarm Medical. Its packages are highly versatile, so seniors can choose a system that best meets their individual needs and lifestyle. Devices are designed to help subscribers attain the level of freedom they desire, with robust in-home systems and wearable mobile devices with GPS tracking.

With six packages, Medical Guardian offers three tiers of in-home products and three distinct on-the-go devices. Within these packages, some of Medical Guardian’s standout offerings include an in-home system with safety sensors for ongoing activity monitoring and a mobile smartwatch device with two-way voice communication. Additionally, an abundance of optional accessories can be added to any package, including lockboxes, voice-activated wall buttons and fall-alert pendants.

In this guide, we explore each Medical Guardian package in depth to help you understand the company’s pricing, device features, benefits and drawbacks. If Medical Guardian seems like the right choice for you, we’ll help you choose the best device, system and any additional accessories they offer to best meet your needs.

Medical Guardian Features

All Medical Guardian plans come with water-resistant wearable help buttons that can comfortably be worn around the wrist or neck. The in-home Family Guardian plan includes motion sensors and an activity monitoring app, and the Freedom Guardian smartwatch device plan comes with the companion mobile app that allows loved ones to see a wearer’s location, receive activity alerts, send messages and schedule daily tasks. Additionally, with most plans, seniors can choose to add one or more of the company’s optional features. These include:

• Additional wearable pendants or wrist buttons for a spouse, roommate or yourself
• Fall alert pendants (except for with mobile smartwatch device plan)
• Traditional wall-mounted help buttons and voice-activated wall-mounted help buttons with at-home plans
• Car chargers for on-the-go systems
• Lockboxes

For subscribers who may have concerns about potentially misplacing or damaging their devices, Medical Guardian offers a device protection plan as an alternative to its lost or damaged equipment fee.

Medical Guardian Plans and Pricing

With its aforementioned six plans, Mobile Guardian offers a wide variety of budget-friendly pricing options, ranging from $27.45 per month for its base at-home annual plan to $73.29 per month for the at-home annual plan that includes motion sensors and activity monitoring. Each of the company’s three mobile plans ranges from around $41-$50 per month.

There are no contracts or long-term commitments required and no cancellation fees, and subscribers receive a prorated refund if they choose to cancel services before any prepaid time is up. Additionally, with any plan, seniors can opt to pay monthly, quarterly, semiannually or annually and receive discounts and an extra help button if they select the annual option. Medical Guardian doesn’t charge activation fees, with the only exception being the Freedom Guardian one-time smartwatch equipment fee, and semiannual and annual plans also include the perks of free shipping and a lockbox.

As for its many optional add-on features, Medical Guardian keeps costs low. Fall detection can be added to any plan (except for Freedom Guardian) for $10 per month and a device protection plan for $6.99 per month. Features such as extra help buttons and lockboxes range from $2.99 to $5 per month.

Classic Guardian Plan

Device Details

Medical Guardian’s lowest-priced plan, the Classic Guardian, is an at-home system that allows seniors with landlines to wear a medical alert help button, either a neck pendant or black wristband, to connect directly to a trained operator at the around-the-clock monitoring center. This system comes with a base station with a range of up to 1,300 feet to ensure seniors can access help from anywhere in their home. The base station is equipped with a two-way speaker, and if for any reason seniors are unable to communicate through the speaker, help will still arrive.

Pricing

The base Classic Guardian system costs $29.95 per month, and seniors who opt for the annual plan receive one month free and an extra help button. The semiannual and annual plans also include a free lockbox and free shipping. Extra lockboxes for any plan are $2.99 per month; fall detection is $10 per month, and seniors can add up to four neck pendants, wrist pendants or wall-mounted help buttons for $2.99 per month each. Up to four voice-activated wall-mounted help buttons can be purchased for $5 each per month, and the device protection plan is $6.99 per month.

Home Guardian Plan

Device Details

The at-home Home Guardian plan uses an AT&T cellular connection so seniors without a landline can still enjoy a low-cost plan. This system has a base station with a range of 600 feet and also comes with a wearable pendant or wristband help button so seniors can move about their homes knowing they can easily reach the monitoring center at any time. The base station’s LED display screen allows seniors to easily check the device’s battery life, signal strength, time and home temperature. While the base station uses electricity, it has a 30-hour battery backup so seniors can contact the monitoring center during a power outage.

Pricing

The Home Guardian plan costs seniors $34.95 per month, with discounts and a second help button included with the annual plan. Semiannual and annual subscribers also receive a free lockbox and free shipping. Seniors can opt to add a lockbox for $2.99 per month, fall detection for $10 per month and up to three additional help buttons (wristband, pendant or wall-mounted) for $2.99 each. The device protection plan is an extra $6.99 per month.

Family Guardian Plan

Device Details

The Family Guardian plan uniquely combines an at-home medical alert system with robust activity monitoring features. Three motion sensors are placed in frequently used areas within a senior’s home to track their daily habits and activities. Data received through the sensors is then transmitted to a caregiver mobile app that sends loved ones instant alerts if a senior isn’t going about their day as usual. The base station included with the plan has a 1,300-foot range, uses AT&T cellular service and has a 32-hour backup battery life. Seniors are also equipped with a wearable help button so they can move freely throughout their home.

Pricing

With this system, seniors pay $79.95 per month for all but the annual plan, which comes with a slight discount and a free second help button. The semiannual and annual plans include free shipping and a lockbox, and fall detection is available for an additional $10 per month. Up to four extra wall-mounted buttons can be added for $2.99 each per month, and seniors can also opt to add up to four voice-activated wall-mounted help buttons for a monthly cost of $5 each. The optional device protection plan is $6.99 per month.

Mobile Guardian Plan

Device Details

Medical Guardian’s Mobile Guardian plan includes a portable device and wearable pendant that work together if the pendant remains within 350 feet of the portable device. Both the device and pendant have help buttons seniors can push to connect to the monitoring center in case of emergency, and the device includes a two-way speaker system. The system includes GPS tracking so monitoring center operators can send help to the correct location. Additionally, the portable device comes with a 24-hour battery life and a charging cradle.

Pricing

Monthly rates for this plan are $49.95, with discounts and a free second help button if paid annually or a free lockbox and shipping if paid semiannually or annually. Seniors can add fall detection for $10 per month, purchase a car charger for a one-time $25 fee and opt for the $6.99 per month device protection plan.

Active Guardian Plan

Device Details

Mobile Guardian’s Active Guardian plan boasts the longest battery life out of any mobile medical alert system on the market and is also the only one to incorporate both GPS and Wi-Fi location tracking technologies. Seniors can wear the all-in-one pendant on the go, and as long as they’re within range of AT&T cellular service, they can press the help button to communicate directly to a monitoring center operator through the device’s two-way speaker.

Pricing

The Active Guardian plan starts at $44.95 per month with discounts, free shipping and a free lockbox for seniors paying semiannually or annually. Fall protection is available for an additional $10 per month, and subscribers can opt to purchase a device protection plan for $6.99 per month.

Freedom Guardian Plan

Device Details

The Freedom Guardian’s lightweight smartwatch-style device includes GPS and Wi-Fi location tracking, weather forecasting and an emergency button for unlimited monitoring center calls. While these standout features and the corresponding caregiver app do much to keep seniors safe and their loved ones connected, users can also upgrade their plan to include text-to-speech messaging and programmable reminders for medication management, appointments and events.

Pricing

This is Medical Guardian’s only plan to include a one-time device fee, which is $99 for its unique smartwatch-style device. After that, the monthly Freedom Guardian plan costs users $44.95 per month with discounts, free shipping and a free lockbox if paid semiannually or annually. The device protection plan costs $6.99 per month, and users can purchase a $5 per month upgrade that includes reminders and alerts and text-to-speech messaging.

Pros and Cons of Medical Guardian Medical Alert Systems

Medical Guardian Pros:

• Discounts and a free lockbox if paying annually
• No long-term contract
• Smartwatch available
• Impressive five-day battery life with the Active Guardian mobile plan
• Motion sensors and activity tracking available with the Family Guardian plan
• Fall detection an option with all but the smartwatch plan
• Device protection plan available
• Abundance of low-priced, valuable add-on options such as the voice-activated wall-mounted help button
• No activation fees

Medical Guardian Cons:

• No medication reminders available
• Users must have a landline to use lowest-priced plan
• Users must pay shipping costs with most plans
• Caregiver apps not available with all plans
• Freedom Guardian smartwatch plan includes a $99 one-time device fee and no option for fall detection

Who Should Use Medical Guardian Medical Alert Systems

Seniors With a High Risk of Falling

Less mobile seniors or those prone to falls or illness may benefit greatly from a Medical Guardian system. All systems except for the Freedom Guardian smartwatch-style device include optional fall detection, and that particular device comes with an app so caregivers can still easily monitor and be in touch with their senior loved ones. For seniors most prone to falls, however, the Family Guardian system’s three motion sensors and activity tracking app add a level of monitoring rarely found with medical alert systems.

Mobile Seniors

Mobile seniors benefit greatly from Medical Guardian’s mobile offerings. Each of its three mobile plans includes GPS tracking, water-resistant devices and easy connection to the U.S.-based monitoring centers from any location in the world with AT&T service. Additionally, the Active Guardian mobile pendant has an unprecedented five-day battery life so senior wearers can stay busy and mobile for extended periods without having to remember to charge their battery.