Is a Voice Extender Necessary?

Medical alert systems work when you press the alert button on your wearable pendant or wristband. A signal is sent directly to the base station located centrally in your home. The base station initiates a call to the medical alert company’s call center and an operator speaks to you through the base station’s two-way speakerphone.

If you live in a large two-story home or expansive ranch-style home, the operator may not be able to hear you, although you can hear the operator. A voice extender device can solve this dilemma for you.

How a Voice Extender Works

Is a Voice Extender Necessary? 2
Example of a Voice Extender from Alert 1

A voice extender is a small box that can be installed onto a wall in your home or you can use it on a table as long as it is connected to a phone line and an electrical outlet. It is used just like the speakerphone feature on the base station. Using this allows you to speak directly to the call center operator without having to scream for help. With any medical alert company, if the operator receives a call and cannot hear you, the operator must assume you are unable to speak or unconscious. Emergency services are dispatched immediately.

Why You May Want to Consider a Voice Extender

Knowing you can speak with call center operator from anywhere in your home may make you feel safer. By adding a voice extender to your medical alert communication system, you have another device to keep you that much safer in the event of an emergency. If you have hearing loss, the voice extender will amplify the sound in case you have trouble hearing the operator on the base station.

Only a few medical alert companies offer voice extenders, so check with the companies you are considering. The voice extender is not automatically included in the system package and the companies do charge an additional fee to purchase the device.