Choosing a Personal Alarm: Monitored Alarm vs Auto-Dial Alarm

Recently, personal alarms were in the news, and not for a good reason. The 2023 Choice Shonky Awards found that auto-dial (also known as non-monitored) personal alarms are unreliable and hard to use, or as Choice wrote: "An emergency device that you can't rely on in an emergency? Sounds pretty shonky to us".

Many people are confused or unaware of the differences between monitored and auto-dial personal alarms.

Want to learn more about so you can make the right alarm choice when the time comes? Keep reading to find out!

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What is a monitored personal alarm?

A personal alarm is a small device that can be triggered in an emergency or activated to call for help when needed. The device can be a small pendant or watch, with features such as falls detection, GPS, 2-way voice communication and water resistance.

A monitored personal alarm is connected to a 24/7 emergency response centre which promptly answers every call, day or night. At MePACS, our Australian emergency response team is professionally trained to quickly assess and handle emergency situations efficiently, providing reassurance and comfort in an often-stressful time. As part of our duty of care, we stay in contact with the client until help arrives and inform their closest contacts.

With a monitored personal alarms, the client's medical details are kept securely on file and updated as needed.

In an emergency, we share the relevant emergency information with emergency services so they can tailor their response and prioritise as needed.

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What is an auto-dial personal alarm?

An auto-dial personal alarm is also a small device which shares similar capabilities and features as a monitored alarm.

The key difference is that the alarm is not connected to a response centre. Instead, once the alarm is triggered or activated, it relies on a pre-programmed list of contacts to respond.

When an auto-dial alarm is activated, it automatically dials the first number on the pre-programmed list, hence the name.

If there's no response, the alarm will call the next number, and so on. The number or contacts the alarm can store varies and ranges between 5-10 for most brands. Some devices can also send an SMS to contacts on the list and include Triple Zero (000) as one of the contacts.

Some auto-dial alarm can store some basic medical information; however, they do not share the information with the programmed contacts or emergency services.

Pros and Cons

While the actual devices used for both Monitored and auto-dial personal alarms are similar and share many functions and features, the key difference lies in the level of safety and duty of care that each product delivers. A monitored alarm relies on a professionally trained response team that is available around-the-clock, giving people and their families confidence and peace of mind. An auto-dial alarm relies on a personal network of family and friends, who may or may not be available when called upon.

While a person with low care needs might find an auto-dial alarm sufficient, a person with higher care needs, a history of falls or an underlying medical condition will likely greatly benefit from a monitored alarm with 24/7 emergency response.

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