If you’re elderly or have a medical condition that means you may not be able to reach a phone if something happens to you, you may be interested in a medical response service. Medical response services provide assistance from a support agent once you press a button on an alert bracelet or device. Walgreens, the popular pharmacy, offers a service called Walgreens Ready Response.

What The Service Offers

As with most types of medical response services, you are provided with a device that has a button on it that you can press when you are in need of assistance. Pressing the button connects you with an individual who can help you and contact emergency services if they are needed. Service agents are available 24/7/365, there are two call centers and multi-lingual support is available.

Walgreens offers three types of services; two which are based in your home and one that allows for monitoring outside of the house. The two services that work out of your home are compatible with either a regular land line phone or a cell service. Their mobile option operates using cellular signals, so it works anywhere cell service is available. You can also get additional devices, including a pendant that provides fall detection, but there is an additional monthly charge to monitor the pendant.

The Pros of Walgreens Ready Response

Generally speaking, the reviews of the Walgreens Ready Response service have been positive. The service is a bare bones version of Life Alert, but it provides around-the-clock assistance in your home or out of your house depending on the plan you select. In most cases, a support agent is available within 60 seconds of a person pressing the assistance button, so you’re not waiting around when you need help.

The equipment that is used for the service is not expensive, and you don’t have to sign a contract to have the service. If you don’t like being tied down to contracts, you may like the ability to only be obligated to cancel 30 days in advance. However, if you choose to pay in advance, you can receive a discount for paying quarterly, bi-annually or annually.

There have been no complaints about the equipment being easily damaged, and it is designed to be very sensitive to voices, so you don’t have to shout to be heard. The battery should last three years, and you’ll be notified if it is dying so you can change it before this happens. You can take the alert pendant with you into the tub or shower, and it will continue to work so long as you do not submerge it underwater for extended periods of time.

The transponder unit that comes with the home service has a battery backup that lasts for 80 hours, so even if you lose power for an extended period of time, your service should continue to work.

Potential Problems With Walgreens Ready Response

There is no installation charge or setup fee for Walgreens Ready Response, but that is because you handle the setup yourself. When you sign up for the program, you are sent an installation kit. You’ll need to attach a unit to your phone system if you chose the standard home service, and although it works with most phone services, including VOIP, there is no guarantee that it will work with yours. If you can’t get it working, there’s no option for someone to come out and set it up for you.

Another potential issue with the at home service is that you have a transponder in your home that works with your pendant. You are able to travel 390 feet away from the console and have it still work, but there may be certain types of construction or signal interference that reduce its range. The CEL service or the On The Go service may also not operate optimally in areas of your home that do not have a solid cell phone signal. These are potential issues with all types of medical support services, but it is something you should be aware of.

Overall, the Walgreens Ready Response Service is affordably priced and doesn’t require contracts or major payments in advance. The service works well, and you aren’t likely to run into installation or distance problems, although they do occur from time to time.