With nearly 90% of elderly who wish to remain in their homes and age in place, we, their children and sometimes primary caregivers, are usually sick with worry, especially when they’re alone. Are they going to be ok? What if something happens and they need me? Will they be able to call me? What if they fall again and can’t get up? At night? And so on.
ResponseNow’s Belle Medical Alert Device
A medical alert system might be exactly the one addition that will give us back our peace of mind and will in the same time give the confidence to our elderly loved ones to live the way they want-independently.
With a little research, I found a number of companies providing such or similar service.
Be that as it may, I decided to go with ResponseNow. A company that is well-established with more than 19 years of experience in the field of life safety and features a variety of alert options.
No wonder they claim to be offering the very best medical alert solution in the industry, in USA.
In this review, we’ll be evaluating based on a few factors, including device specifications, price, customer service and more. Will ResponseNow Medical Alert meet our standards? Let’s find out.
Belle & Belle+ Provider: Option of either AT&T 4G LTE or Verizon 4G LTE.
Coverage: USA
Battery life: up to 30 daysfor Belle, up to 5 days for Belle+
Charging time: 3 hours
The In Home Range: 500 feet
Waterproof:Shower-proof
Two-way Communication: Belle & Belle+ through pendant; The In Home through base unit.
Initial cost above subscription: None
Delivery time:2-3 days
Subscription:, $39.95-$34.45 for Belle, depending on length of the billing cycle
$49.95-$44.95 for Belle+
$29.95-$24.95 for In The Home
I researched it thoroughly and will show you in this review why I chose this particular alarm system, providing you with detailed information you should know before you decide for yourself if this is the right company for you or your loved elderly.
Who is ResponseNow Service for
As there are three different devices and services available in this company, they can accommodate nearly any need when it comes to medical alert systems for elderly. Whether an in-home system, or on-the-go, or even an automatic fall detector within the device is needed, looks like this company has got it covered. The Belle and Belle+ are particularly suitable for active elderly, always on the go.
How does ResponseNow Service work
Belle+ with the charger
Belle+works exactly as Belle does, but also has a fall detection and device tracking. Fall detection usesa patented algorithm, one based on the speed, direction and the impact of each movement a user makes. Fall detection can automatically set Belle+ into alarm and connect to the monitoring center, or even place a direct emergency call to 911 ifthe cellular signal is so weak that it cannot sustain a connection to monitoring center.
Device tracking is possible for registered and signed in contacts through a website, or through an app, either for iPhone or Android. The track feature enabled will trigger the Belle+ to send in data location every 30 seconds for up to 15 minutes. Battery percentage can be seen here, as well.
The ResponseNow In The Home System is intended for people who spend the majority of their time in and immediately around the home. It has a static base unit,which will be connected to your landline,with a built-in mic and speakerphone. It comes with a panic button, worn as a pendant around neck, but you can choose to clip it on your belt or get it as a wristband, whichever suits you better. All can be worn in shower, as well, but not submerged in water.A signal sent by pressing the button is caught by the base unit, which will initiate a connection to the monitoring center.
In The Home System
Additionally, it is possible to arrange for an additional pendant, for the other spouse, for example, or a fall detecting pendant, if you are concerned you might not be able to push the button when and if you ever fall.
There is also a separate “room and hallway” button available and it comes with adhesive on the back to stick it onto a flat surface, serving as a secondary method to place the system into alarm.
Placing it in the bathroom, kitchen or hallway might be of huge help, when you get up for a glass of water in the middle of night and you may have forgotten to slip on your main pendant.
When the EMS arrive, they should be able to enter, or they will use force to open the door. For such cases afake rock with a spare key, a frog or similar can come in handy. Or a lockboxwith a spare key placed in it, protected by a secure code, which is available for a fee, Whichever you choose, you just need to tell it to ResponseNow, so they can put it in your file, for a case of emergency.
My ResponseNow Service review
Operators in the center are UL-listed and TMA Five Diamond Certified (meaning they areconfirmed to be committed to the highest standards in the monitoring industry). Many of them are bilingual and there is a Spanish speaking operator available at all times, for example.
They are specifically trained for medical alert calls and will have a file on you that lists Date of Birth, Allergies, Medical Conditions, Prescriptions, Alternate Access to Home, Vial of Life, Pet Information, Special Instructions, Preferred Hospital and any further info you would like to provide.
This makes much more easy and faster to determine the course of action, depending on the nature of your emergency. In case they’re sending EMS, they will not leave you alone to wait for them, but will stay on line with you until they arrive. In such moments it can be a valuable support.
The range between the base unit and the button covered is about 500 feet, meaning it will catch a signal up to that distance. If you can ideally place it in a central position, it will cover a circle of 1000 feet in diameter. Is it enough? Depends on the size of your home.
With Belle, you can truly be independent, come and go, go to shopping, or to local amusement park with grandchildren or drive out for a coffee to that nice cozy restaurant in the next village. Wherever you go in the States and an area with cellular coverage, you may rest assured, if help would be needed, this smart little device will get it to you.
Belle+’s advantages over Belle are the fall detection and the device tracking. For anyone being in higher risk of falls, it might be very reassuring to know help will be on it’s way even if not able to press the button after a fall.
I find the device tracking a most useful function, let’s say in case your loved one has a habit of wandering off without telling anyone his/her whereabouts, which happens often with Dementia, especially Alzheimer’s. This comes in handy in finding your wondered off parent, or loved one and gives you quite a peace of mind.
Whichever plan and device you choose, it will be shipped to you within a couple of days when you subscribe and you will not be charged for it. Not for the shipping, nor for the device. It remains the company’s property, a complete lifetime replacement warranty is includedand they will be doing also the maintaining . Seriously. They will monitor the battery in the pendant, for example and send a replacement, when needed, free of charge.
Customer Service
Instructions are included, but a day or so after it arrives, the customer service will call you, walk you through the set up process and make sure everything is set up correctly and works properly. I find this a great help, especially if your children live far from you, as there is no need for them to come to set the device up.
Belle and Belle+ send in a daily signal report of the battery percentage remaining as well as the cellular coverage rating. ResponseNow receives reports of accounts that miss these daily check-in tests, and they call outbound on those accounts to investigate the reason why. This often comes down to reminding the client to charge the device, which I think is a very nice attention to a small, but very important detail.
| Belle | Belle+ | In The Home | |
| Monthly billing | $39.95 | $49.95 | $29.95 |
| Quarterly billing | $37.95 | $47.95 | $27.95 |
| Annual billing | $34.95 | $44.95 | $24.95 |
| Connection type | Cellular | Cellular | Landline required |
| Range | Anywhere in USA | Anywhere in USA | 500 feet |
| Battery Life | Up to 30 days | Up to 5 days | A?C power (battery backup-24 hours |
| 2 way voice communication | Yes | Yes | Yes-through the base unit |
| Assisted GPS Enabled | Yes | Yes | No |
| WIFI Enabled | Yes | Yes | No |
| Shower-safe | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Fall Detection | No | Yes | Not included, available in optionals |
| Pendant Style | Necklace only | Necklace only | Necklace or wristband |
| Optionals | Lockbox-$3.95/month
Care Protection Plan-$3.95/month |
Lockbox-$3.95/month
Care Protection Plan-$3.95/month |
Extra pendant-$3.95/month
Fall detector-$11.95/month Lockbox-$3.95/month Care Protection Plan-$3.95/month |
You have the option to add additional accessories, including the fall detector at $11.95 per month, an extra pendant for $2.95 each month, an extra lockbox at a cost of $3.95 monthly, and the Care(+) Protection Plan for $3.95 each month.
ResponseNow Pros:
I looked into other companies, as well. Are there cheaper monthly monitoring fees available? Yes, especially for the In-Home service. Why I think ResponseNow is still worth it?
– no activation or similar nonsense fee
– no device buying (free device usage with all monitoring plans), free shipping
– 30 day, whatever reason money-back guarantee for a full refund. They will even provide a prepaid return label if needed.
– no long-term bounding contracts (instead-discount on quarterly, or annual plans, which can still be cancelled at any time and the remaining portion will be refunded)
– lifetime guarantee of the price for you (grandfathering the initial price for lifetime), meaning you will pay the same price you paid for your first billing period even ten years or more from now. (This I find very useful in planning a budget on fixed income, for example if you buy an annuity from your pension fund).
– free lockbox on all Annual plans
– no limited calls or use of panic button
– extremely long battery life, up to 30 days.
– short charging time (3 hours)
– nationwide coverage (USA), 3G, 4G, basically anywhere in U.S. with available AT&T or Verizon
– exceptional customer care
– one month free after the initial billing cycle with our code:
ResponseNow Service Cons:
– no world-wide service, coverage only in USA
– app available only for Belle+
– the In-The-Home range of 500 feet (modest compared to others)
– second pendant for spouse comes on monthly charges
– no chat with customer service available
Conclusion
Apart from the Pros I listed above, my impression is that ResponseNow truly cares about their clients and acts in their best interest, in financial terms, and in terms of service (no to a lot of different fees present at other companies, price grandfathering for lifetime, no need to buy the equipment itself and so on)
When I enquired about the average false alarms their clients may initiate, they very cutely referred to them as “client’s testings” and they welcome them all, no matter how many.
In my opinion the In-The-Home system could have a better range, but, again, depending on the size of the property, it may be suitable for home-based elderly.
Belle and Belle+I consider both reliable and well worthwhile of choosing for active seniors, who would happily go on with an independent, active life style, having in the same time certainty about having a way to call for help in case of emergency. We, their children, can also have a peace of mind they can reach out any moment, should they need us, or just want to talk to us.
You can check out their website for more details or for placing an order.
Using our code “VITALITY”, you’ll get a free month after your initial billing period.
If you are in USA and thinking of purchasing a Medical Alert System, either for yourself or your loved one, you don’t need to look further. You can rest assured you made a good choice when you subscribe to ResponseNow.
Let me know how are you satisfied with it, when you do, or even better, if you already have had it for a while. I’d appreciate if you shared your experiences in the comments below.
And, as always, feel free to reach out should you have questions and I’ll be happy to answer them to the best of my knowledge.
With Love,
Kerryanne
When you buy something from this website, I may receive an affiliate commission, at no extra cost to you.
Wow! This is great! I love the fall detect system. When you fall it is not always possible to make a call, so that system can be a lifesaver, and at the cost it is a great deal. I find the Responsenow reasonably priced and with everything you are getting you can be assured that your loved ones are taken care off. Especially now that we still can’t leave the house that often, it would be good to use this device, to have peace of mind. Too bad it is only available in the US for now; I hope that maybe in the near future it will be available in other countries too.
I am glad you find it great, as I was delighted as well, when I found them! And indeed, having that peace of mind, not worrying each and every moment of what if…that gives you the freedom to live your life normally, as a matter of fact, to both you and your loved one. Being available only in USA-yes, that was my first in Cons list, as well. What a shame you can’t subscribe in other countries yet. I do hope they will consider widening their area of operation soon.
Thanks for the review. I think ResponseNow Medical Alert is a really good product for elderly people living alone, and it is at affordable prices. Certainly will recommend it for someone who needs it.
Thank you for your approving comment. Your recommendation will be appreciated by that person, as well, I believe.
All the best,
Kerryanne
This is a very in-depth review of the Response Now medical alert system. With these amazing products, it’s easier for the elderly to maintain their independence, while still having the health care assistance they need.
These products will make life a lot easier for many families, and alleviate any worries about the safety of their parents, and grandparents.
The Belle plus seems like a great overall package, and reasonably priced. I like the pendant, and think it’s quite innovative how they designed it.
Hi Mikhail, I agree, being sure you (or your loved one) can reach help whenever it is needed is in my opinion priceless. However, this medical alert system is truly one piece of mind peace given to the caregiver and to the user in the same time, at a very reasonable price.
Response Now says the Belle package is the most popular, but Belle plus is an excellent choice where someone might fall and not be able to push the button.
Thank you for your comment.
All the best,
Kerryanne
My mom had one that she wore around her neck that would call 911 when she pushed the button. She had asthma and it was likely that if she was having an attack there would be little to no talking. She lived in a small town so the people within the volunteer rescue squad knew her medical condition. I know at least once it saved her life because she had stopped breathing by the time the rescue squad got there.
Yes, an alert system can make all the difference between going away and staying alive, as either the help is there in time, as for your Mom, or sadly not.
From the tone of your comment, however, I fear your Mom is not with us from some point anymore…and I’m sorry if I’m right.
Thank you for sharing this with us, Les.
Medical Alert in my opinion is the best gift you can give to any senior on your shopping list, and with Christmas approaching once again this could be a possibility high on your list.
You could give this for a birthday or just anytime because you want to protect your senior loved ones, so seriously consider Medical Alert it could one day save a loved one’s life
Jeff
I’m glad we agree on that Jeff and thank you for sharing your opinion. It certainly can give a peace of mind, both for the caregiver and the cared for loved one! And, exactly, it might make all the difference of losing or having that loved one for many more years around.
Thank you for putting it this straightforward.
I have been wondering about this product because of my grandmother. I have not done my research to know what others are out there. I am pleased to see that the equipment is not an extra cost. The monthly fees are very reasonable, so when I do order it, then I know it will be easy and affordable.
Thank you for your review.
You will find a number of companies offering similar services, with a variety of prices and very often, besides the obligation to buy the device, also nonsense charges, like activation or starter fee, or limited number of pressing the panic button, with pricey over limit alerts, or even with a SIM card registered overseas, so each and every call is international, and so on. It is worth of a good research, before you make your final choice. As for ResponseNow, you might want to read and see some users reviews here