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Best Bed Alarms for the Elderly
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Sometimes it’s unsafe for seniors to get out of bed on their own. A bed alarm alerts an in-home caregiver whenever your loved one gets out of bed, allowing the caregiver to intervene. In that way, bed alarms for seniors help prevent falling or wandering.
Our favorite bed alarms for seniors are sold by Lunderg. They have a unique early-warning system that sounds the alarm when someone sits up—not when they’ve already stood up. This gives caregivers more time to respond before your loved one falls.
Best bed alarms for the elderly
- : Best overall
- : Best wearable
- : Budget pick
- : Best for built-in call button
- : Best for voice messages
1. Lunderg Early Alert Bed Alarm System: Best overall
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The Lunderg Early Alert Bed Alarm System triggers when pressure shifts from the center of the pad to its outer edges—which happens when someone starts to sit up or roll out of bed. Compared to other bed alarms, this early warning system gives caregivers a few extra seconds to come into the room and prevent a fall.
The Lunderg bed alarm fits discreetly under the sheets so your loved one doesn’t try to remove it. It can be tricky to ensure the person lays on the center of the pad every single time, so there may be a learning curve.
That said, the Lunderg pad distinguishes between someone rolling over in bed and someone getting out of bed. We read dozens of user reviews praising this feature and commenting on a surprising lack of false alarms.
2. SafeWander: Best wearable bed alarm
Like the Lunderg bed alarm, SafeWander tackles fall prevention with an early warning system. A small sensor clips onto your loved one’s clothes and detects when they start to get out of bed.
SafeWander sends alerts to the caregiver’s smartphone rather than a separate pager. This lets you monitor more than one person at a time (mom and dad, for example). Their name pops up in the notification so you know which room to check. You can also see historical bed exit data to spot any trends.
3. Secure Safety Solutions Bed Alarm: Budget pick
The Secure Safety Solutions Bed Alarm doesn’t give early warnings, but it gets the job done at an affordable price. The alarm sounds when weight lifts from the pad, so your senior will already be standing up when you hear the alert. It should work fine if your loved one is prone to wandering but not necessarily at a high risk of falling.
The Secure Safety Solutions Bed Alarm comes with a pager that straps to the bed and flashes a bright light and sounds an 80 dB alarm. The volume can be adjusted from low to high but can’t be turned off.
This bed exit alarm has a very short warranty—the pad is covered for just 45 days.
4. Smart Caregiver Corporation Bed Alarm: Best for built-in call button
*Amazon.com price as of post date. Read full disclaimer.
The Smart Caregiver Corporation Bed Alarm features an extra monitor that’s attached directly to the sensor pad. This bed monitor has a built-in call button, so the entire system pulls double duty. The portable pager has tons of settings, including volume control, language options, visual alerts, and the ability to connect to more than one pad.
The bed monitor beeps twice whenever pressure is applied to the pad, which helps caregivers confirm that the pad is working. These loud beeps can’t be disabled. Other than that, the bed monitor can also sound the alarm or stay silent. Hearing an alarm may encourage some people to stop and wait for help, but it could frighten others. We appreciate that there’s an option.
5. Smart Caregiver Dual: Best for voice messages
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The Smart Caregiver and Liberty Bed Alarm plays a pre-recorded message instead of sounding an alarm. You can record up to two messages, such as, “Sit down, Mom. Wait for me to help you.” The idea is that the sound of your voice may be less surprising than the sound of an alarm. But the flip side is that your voice becomes disembodied—and that’s also frightening for some seniors.
If you think this could work well for you and your loved ones, you can choose a regular 10-by-30-inch bed pad or an extra large 20-by-30-inch pad. Chair pads and floor mats are also available, or you can use the voice box on its own with the included pull cord.
Final word
The early warning system in Lunderg’s bed alarms is critical for preventing falls. Other bed alarms seem far too basic in comparison. That said, any bed alarm is better than no bed alarm at all.
FAQ
Bed alarms are the best choice when it’s dangerous for someone to get out of bed on their own. For example, loved ones with dementia may forget that they need a mobility aid and try to walk without one.
A motion sensor could be a suitable alternative if you’re concerned about wandering more than falling.
Chair alarms are smaller than bed alarms. Otherwise, they serve the same purpose and work the same way.
How we reviewed bed alarms for seniors
For our review of the best bed alarms for seniors, we prioritized bed sensors with early-warning systems. We also looked at whether a portable pager was included and the pager’s range, volume controls, and other settings. We read dozens of user reviews to look for trending feedback. Learn more about how we rank and review products on our methodology page.
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