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LifeStation’s Sidekick Smart is a watch that offers emergency response as well as tracking steps and heart rate. This is an important feature for those who want to track their physical fitness.
When it comes to medical alert technology, today’s adults have options which is why you should be armed with the latest information. Thanks to a technology boom and more companies catering to older adult customers, if you are searching for an alert device that suits your budget and lifestyle, you are likely to find at least a few options to choose from. LifeStation, a family-owned company with more than 40 years of innovation and medical alert monitoring experience providing peace of mind to customers and building trust, might have just what you are looking for. If you’ve read our LifeStation reviews, you will have seen their brand-new product offering. Let’s learn more about LifeStation and its two new products: the Sidekick Mobile Medical Alert and the Sidekick Smart Wearable Medical Alert.
More About LifeStation
According to their website, LifeStation’s mission is to empower the lives of seniors, and their caregivers, through medical alert and connected health solutions and tools. They have been a privately owned business for more than 40 years, striving to give adults and their loved ones access to technology that will keep them safer and feel more empowered. It is likely that one of their medical alert products will suit your needs.
In addition to these two products, LifeStation also offers the ability to instantly locate a loved one with a quick text message to LifeStation Alert. The Find My Loved One option allows caregivers to send a quick text to see their location, as long as the senior is wearing their mobile medical alert button (which can be worn around the neck or wrist.). LifeStation also integrates with any Alexa device, whether it is an Echo or via the Alexa app on a smartphone, so that caregivers can track their loved one’s location in real-time. For those with risk of falling, and those taking medical prescriptions that cause dizziness or allergies, this additional protection will provide peace of mind.
LifeStation also offers 24/7 emergency assistance via their award-winning monitoring specialists who are all based in the United States. Their monitoring centers are located in New Jersey and Texas and are TMA 5-Diamond Certified. Further, they offer a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Sidekick Mobile Medical Alert
The easy-to-use Sidekick pendant is small but effective. Image via LifeStation.
The easy-to-use Sidekick pendant is small but effective. Image via LifeStation.
The Sidekick is a mobile medical alert pendant that is small, lightweight, and easy to operate. Like many pendants on the market, the Sidekick is water-resistant and can be worn in the shower. It also can be worn on the wrist or around the neck It also features fall detection technology, which means if the pendant’s fall detection sensor is triggered by a potential fall, a specialist at the monitoring center will contact the user right away to see if they require emergency assistance.
The pendant also uses the AT&T 4G LTE network and features GPS and WiFi so that the user can be located by a loved one or monitoring center specialist as needed. It can run off multiple service connections choosing the best one like LTE cellular or your personal internet’s available wifi network. Perhaps best of all, the pendant is easy to operate. There is a help, or SOS, button that is easy to push and it features three lights on the side to let the user know if it is working properly, needs to be charged, or if location monitoring is available. The pendant and services will cost you less than $40 per month.
Sidekick Smart Wearable Medical Alert
For the adult who wants to skip the pendant but still wants the alert capabilities, the Sidekick Smart could be the solution. This wearable medical alert smartwatch does more than just contact emergency assistance. It also tracks daily steps, helps with weather forecasting, and monitors heart rate where accuracy and precision are very important.
The watch itself is stylish with a simple black band and a square face with a customer friendly user interface. To call emergency services, the user simply needs to push a button on the side of the watch and speak into the watch to ask for assistance. Another button can toggle between the heart rate monitor and pedometer features. Similar to the Sidekick pendant, the Sidekick Smart is water-resistant and can go into the shower safely but should not be worn in a pool or anywhere it would be submerged. For best results, the Sidekick Smart should be charged daily. The Sidekick Smart watch and services begin at less than a $45 payment per month.
LifeStation Sidekick vs. Samsung Galaxy Watch
You will come across lots of other smart watch companies on the market which will vary in price and features. The latest smartwatch features track everything from sleep to your activity level. For example, the new high-tech Samsung Galaxy watch, which is a competitor for the Apple watch (Apple make the iPhone too). It has advanced biometric monitoring for checking on sleep habits and also features a curved design that is closer to the skin so that it can measure body fat, skeletal muscle, and metabolic rate. This watch also includes mobile apps like Google Assistant. If you need those advanced features, the Samsung Galaxy might be right for you. Keep in mind it does not come with the medical alert monitoring that the LifeStation Sidekick is known for.
LifeStation Sidekick vs. Fitbit
Fitbit is an activity tracker that can be as simple as a strap that is worn around the wrist or more advanced like a smartwatch. The basic activity models are perfect tools for those counting calories and tracking fitness. If you are simply looking to track your steps and heart rate then you would need something as simple as a Fitbit since that is what it is designed for. The LifeStation Sidekick tracks data like a basic Fitbit, in addition to its medical monitoring capabilities. A Fitbit smartwatch is more advanced than a simple activity tracker but will still lack LifeStation’s medical alert functions.
Choosing a Medical Alert Device
LifeStation products and pricing might fit into you or your parent’s budget and lifestyle. But if you aren’t quite sure if it is the best choice for you, you can make a more confident, expert decision while online shopping by reading more on our review site (which is database of medical alert reviews), and considering a few of these questions:
What types of services do I want or need from my medical alert device?
Do I want a traditional medical alert system or one on-the-go?
How important is style and wearability to me when it comes to my medical alert device?
Do I need or want my family members to be able to contact me or find my location if they are worried or want to check in?
Will I wear a pendant, bracelet, or watch? Which one am I more likely to put on every day?
Does this system match the quality and price that I am looking for?
How often will I remember to charge my device? Do I need a device with a longer battery life or am I in the habit of charging a device daily?
Have I read the reviews of the LifeStation products as well as their competitors?
Can I comfortably fit the costs of the product and services into my monthly budget?
Have I taken time to compare LifeStation to other products on the market to find the best fit?
Are there any current promotions I can take advantage of?
You can also take advantage of our 3-part medical alert system buyer’s guide. This free resource walks you through everything you need to know as you research, buy, and set up your medical alert system.
Good luck as you find the system that is your best solution.
