Life Alert Buttons: Why You And How They Work (2024)

Life Alert Buttons: Why You And How They Work (1)

AllsWell Team

Table of contents:

  1. What Is a Life Alert Emergency Button
  2. How Does a Life Alert Panic Button Work?
  3. 5 Reasons to Use Life Alert Buttons
  4. When to Use Life Alert Buttons and When Not

The first people to use the panic button were the World War II pilots. They pressed it to signal to other crew members that that plane was damaged and everyone must leave it. Although the purpose and form of life alert buttons have considerably changed since then, one thing remains the same. – Life alert buttons save lives.

Today we use them for personal security, to care about our family members, feel safer at work, or during a trip. A click of the life alert help button allows users to get in touch with emergency contacts within seconds.

Would you like to know how it works? AllsWell explains this and why to use the life alert button that calls family below.

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What Is a Life Alert Emergency Button

A life alert button is another type of panic button. It’s a physical or digital button the user can press to activate emergency alerts in life-threatening situations or when they need help. The life alert button click triggers instant notifications to selected contacts or initiates a phone call to a response center. Afterward, the contacted people can decide the best way to assist the person in need. For example, they may send an ambulance or rush to help themselves.

Most popular life alert button options

Life alert buttons can come in various formats. You can have one on your smartphone or buy a wall-mounted life alert button for seniors. Here are the most common options to pick from:

  • Wearable life alert emergency buttons. These are buttons on personal security wearable devices, like pendants, watches, rings, or keychains.

  • Fixed life alert buttons. These are the panic buttons on security base stations. They have a designated location inside a house or at work.

  • App-based life alert buttons. Digital panic buttons appear on your phone screen after downloading a personal safety app like AllsWell Alert. They work just like physical life alert buttons.

Another difference between all these life alert button options is that they can be monitored or unmonitored. Monitored buttons connect the user with a live support agent from a response center when clicked. They talk to decide what kind of assistance is best in the situation that has happened. Unmonitored life alert buttons send SMS or push notifications to selected emergency contacts. They connect the person in need with their family and friends, not the support person.

How Does a Life Alert Panic Button Work?

A life alert button is effortless to use and reliable. It takes several steps to activate emergency notifications:

  1. The user clicks the panic button on their personal safety device or phone.

  2. The device dials the response center or sends real-time notifications to selected contacts.

  3. The contacted people process the message to provide the necessary kind of help to the user.

5 Reasons to Use Life Alert Buttons

The advantages of life alert help buttons are more than worth several dollars you will pay per month. Having the way to ask for help in trouble brings security to your daily life.

#1. It’s a universal personal safety tool

The panic button is suitable in various situations. You can send emergency alerts when someone attacks you on the street or attempts to enter your house. You can also request help when alone at home and feel unwell. Besides, life alerts increase personal safety of lone workers, solo travelers, and many other user groups. Hence, when you get a panic button device, you become safer in many situations.

#2. You can protect every family member

Solutions with a life alert help button are equally handy for children staying at home alone and seniors. While children can notify parents when something goes wrong, the elderly can immediately request help when they have health issues. It eases the stress for working adults with too many family members to care for. Knowing that their loved ones are safe, they can focus on daily routines and find peace of mind.

#3. Life alert buttons are affordable

Wearable and app-based life alert buttons will cost you from $10. Although mounted panic buttons are more expensive, they are also affordable. With such solutions, you don’t need to purchase pricey surveillance systems.

#4. They allow staying in touch 24/7

There are no time limitations both for monitored and unmonitored systems. Even if you need help at 2 AM, the life alert button enables you to request it. Thanks to this, you feel safer yourself and know other people you are connected with are also secure.

#5. Good for employees and workers

In some fields, employees constantly face personal threats. For example, 58% of housekeepers report an experience of some type of sexual abuse. These people can considerably benefit from life alert emergency buttons. When a threatening situation happens, they will send emergency alerts to their employers and team members to report it and find protection.

When to Use Life Alert Buttons and When Not

Despite all the benefits, life alert buttons have some limitations. That’s why you should know when to use them for the best result.

We recommend life alert buttons for situations when you need urgent help. Urgent help means that something threatens your safety or health and you immediately need someone to save you. In other words, you shouldn’t overuse the life alert button and click it for unimportant notifications. Also, keep it away from children for the same reason. Kids may click the button while playing and activate the alerts when you don’t need them. It will stress out your emergency contacts and can even make them ignore your emergency notifications the next time.

Another thing to note is that you may be unable to reach the life alert button device in some situations. Imagine your safety device is downstairs when you accidentally fall and break your leg in the bathroom on the second floor. Or a stranger enters your home, and you cannot send emergency alerts because the phone is in another room. In such emergencies, you won’t manage to click the panic button.

Therefore, the panic button is practical only when your device is around or you can reach it. Otherwise, you need additional personal safety features, like inactivity monitoring. Inactivity monitoring sends emergency alerts when the user remains inactive for a while. You don’t need to click the panic button for it. The personal safety solutions automatically activate notifications based on your previous settings, including the inactivity time. This feature protects you and your loved ones in situations when the emergency button is ineffective.

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AllsWell Alert App for the Digital Panic Button

AllsWell Alert is a personal safety & emergency alert app for people living, commuting, or traveling alone. It combines the panic button functionality with inactivity monitoring, enabling the app to send your emergency contact an alert with your location even when you cannot press a button. It’s an easy way to stay safe and mobile.

How to get a life alert button offered by AllsWell? Download our app to your smartphone for free. After the installation, the panic button will appear on your phone screen and trigger emergency notifications once you hit it.

Life Alert Buttons: Why You And How They Work (2024)

FAQs

Life Alert Buttons: Why You And How They Work? ›

Automatic Fall Detection Medical Alert Button:

The fall detection medical alert button has sensors that can detect a fall, and also has a button that can be pressed in a non-fall situation. As with the Standard button, it sends a signal to the Medical Alert Console which calls our emergency response center.

How does the alert button work? ›

How Do Medical Alert Systems Work?
  1. The user presses the pendant or portable emergency fall button.
  2. The user's information and location are sent to Emergency Operators.
  3. The U.S.-based Emergency Operator establishes a 2-way communication and assesses the situation.

How do senior call buttons work? ›

Automatic Fall Detection Medical Alert Button:

The fall detection medical alert button has sensors that can detect a fall, and also has a button that can be pressed in a non-fall situation. As with the Standard button, it sends a signal to the Medical Alert Console which calls our emergency response center.

How does Life Alert help people? ›

They Monitor Your Living Space

Some systems also include environmental sensors, which will alert you to fire or high carbon monoxide levels. Depending on the system you choose, they may also automatically alert monitoring centers or first responders.

How do medical alert systems for seniors work? ›

With an unmonitored medical alert system, when the user presses the emergency button, it sends a call directly to 911 or to the user's predesignated emergency contacts rather than a monitoring center.

Does Life Alert work without Internet? ›

Do I need Wi-Fi or a cell phone to use a medical alert system? No. Most medical alert systems connect to cellular data. You don't need a cell phone, Wi-Fi, or internet for the device to work.

Does Life Alert work without electricity? ›

Typically, medical alert base stations plug into a wall outlet and include backup batteries in case the power goes out. The Life Alert at-home system's 72-hour backup battery is the longest of the popular medical alert systems we've reviewed.

How does Life Alert communicate? ›

Your home is monitored electronically by a button worn on the wrist or around the neck. When the button is pressed, it sends a radio signal to a base unit which sends an emergency signal through your phone line to the monitoring center.

Does Medicare cover medical alert buttons? ›

Are medical alert systems covered by Medicare? Medical alert systems are not covered by Medicare Part A or Part B, but Medicare Part C, also known as Medicare Advantage, may cover some of the cost.

Will Medicare pay for a Life Alert? ›

Medicare Parts A and B, which are administered by the federal government, do not cover Life Alert or any other type of medical alert system. However, Medicare Advantage plans are administered by private insurance companies, and many of these plans provide coverage for wearable alert devices similar to Life Alert.

Can you talk through Life Alert? ›

Simply push one large, easily accessible button to reach Life Alert's Emergency Monitoring Center where you can speak directly with Life Alert® and get help fast, 24/7.

Does Life Alert actually work? ›

Life Alert's buttons work well, but they require you to press them in order to trigger a call. If automatic fall detection is an important feature for you, then I'd recommend looking into LifeFone or Bay Alarm Medical. Flexible contracts. Three-year contracts are outliers in the medical alert community.

Does Life Alert really save a life every 11 minutes? ›

Life Alert ® handles over two million calls a year, and on average saves at least one life from a potential catastrophic* outcome Every 11 minutes (over 45,000 in 2020). In Life Alert's Monitoring Center, the size of its emergency staff per member is 200% greater than a traditional security company.

Do you have to press a button for Life Alert? ›

A life alert button is effortless to use and reliable. It takes several steps to activate emergency notifications: The user clicks the panic button on their personal safety device or phone. The device dials the response center or sends real-time notifications to selected contacts.

Can Life Alert call family? ›

Medical alert systems connect you to emergency call centers within seconds. Medical alert systems can also connect you to family or inform your family of an emergency. There are systems specifically for at-home use or on-the-go use. Some systems combine both indoor and outdoor emergency access.

What is the difference between medical alert and Life Alert? ›

Life Alert offers an at-home medical alert system that can be bundled with on-the-go GPS monitoring. The system can be connected to your own landline or to Life Alert's cellular network. Unlike Medical Alert, Life Alert does not offer automatic fall detection.

Can you sleep with a medical alert button? ›

Can I wear my medical alert button while sleeping? Yes. You can wear your medical alert necklace or wristband to bed. This ensures that you will be able to receive help should you ever need it.

Does Medicare cover a medical alert button? ›

Medical alert systems are not covered by Medicare Part A or Part B, but Medicare Part C, also known as Medicare Advantage, may cover some of the cost. Each plan varies, so confirm coverage with your provider.

Do you have to press a button for life alert? ›

A life alert button is effortless to use and reliable. It takes several steps to activate emergency notifications: The user clicks the panic button on their personal safety device or phone. The device dials the response center or sends real-time notifications to selected contacts.

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