Life Assure Alternative: A Daily Check-In for Your Parent
Life Assure is a Canadian provider of medical alert devices for home and on the go, connected to a monitoring centre. I'm Alive is a different kind of safety net: your parent taps once a day on their own phone, and if they miss it, you and up to nine others are told by text, email and app notification. Protect Me is $29.99 US a year, with nothing to wear.
Download FreeSide-by-Side Comparison
| Feature | I'm Alive | Life Assure |
|---|---|---|
| What you pay | Free daily check-in; Protect Me $29.99 US/yr | A monthly monitoring fee |
| Equipment | None — your parent's smartphone | A home unit or a mobile device with a help button |
| What sets off an alert | A missed daily check-in | Pressing the button, or fall detection on some devices |
| Who responds | The family, friends or neighbours your parent chose | A 24/7 monitoring centre |
| Calls emergency services | No — I'm Alive is not an emergency service and doesn't call 911 | The monitoring centre can send help |
| Away from home | Anywhere the phone has signal | Mobile devices with GPS; home units within range of the base |
Frequently Asked Questions
Is I'm Alive a medical alert like Life Assure?
No. A medical alert connects a help button to a monitoring centre that can send help when the button is pressed. I'm Alive is a daily check-in: your parent taps once a day, and if they don't, they get a reminder and then the people they chose are told. It has no monitoring centre and does not call 911. It answers a different question: would anyone notice if Mom didn't get up today?
How much does I'm Alive cost in Canada?
The daily check-in is free in the app, with one contact and one missed check-in alert a month. On our website, Stay Connected is a one-time $4.99 US for one contact and up to five alerts a month by email and app notification; Protect Me is $29.99 US a year, with an alert every time, text messages and up to 10 contacts; Protect Me On The Move is $39.99 US a year and adds up to three check-in times a day, live location sharing and Follow Me for trips. Your bank converts the price.
Who gets told if Mom misses her check-in?
The people she chooses: you, your brothers and sisters, a neighbour with a key, a friend. Protect Me allows up to 10 contacts. They don't need the app; alerts reach them by text, email and app notification. Before anyone is alerted, she gets a reminder, so a late morning doesn't turn into a false alarm.
Does Mom need a smartphone?
Yes. She checks in on the I'm Alive app on an iPhone or Android phone. On iPhone she can also check in from a home-screen widget or by saying "Hey Siri, I'm OK". The app is in English.
What if falls are the main worry?
Then a monitored device with automatic fall detection does that job better, and you should keep or choose one. I'm Alive notices a missed check-in, which can be hours after a fall. Many families use both: the device for emergencies, the check-in for everyday peace of mind.
Does I'm Alive track my parent's location?
The daily check-in doesn't share where your parent is. Live location sharing is a separate feature on Protect Me On The Move, for trips.
How do we set it up?
Set it up together. Install I'm Alive on your parent's phone, choose a check-in time that fits their morning, add you and anyone else as contacts, then send a clearly marked test alert so everyone sees it arrive. If your parent goes away, they can pause check-ins and turn them back on when they're home.
Is Life Assure or I'm Alive better?
It depends on the risk you're covering. If your parent has fallen before, lives with a condition that can cause sudden collapse, or needs someone to answer within minutes, a monitored medical alert is the right tool. If your parent is independent and the worry is that a day could pass without anyone knowing, a daily check-in costs less, needs nothing to wear, and keeps family in the loop.
Can she check in without opening the app?
Yes. On iPhone, she can check in from a home-screen widget or by saying "Hey Siri, I'm OK". She can also choose to let simply opening the app count as the check-in.
What if she goes away for a few days?
Turn on pause (vacation mode) while she is away, so nobody is alerted by mistake, and turn it off on the way home. A visit to family, a hospital stay or a holiday shouldn't set off alerts.
Will I be told every day that the check-in happened?
No. You hear when a check-in is missed, not every day. That keeps alerts meaningful: when one arrives, it's worth acting on.
Who is I'm Alive better for?
Independent parents who don't want to wear a button and don't need monitoring, where the family's real worry is that a day could pass without anyone knowing. One tap a day, nothing to wear or charge, and the family hears when a check-in is missed.
Is I'm Alive available in French?
Not yet. The app is in English, so it suits parents who read English, or who have someone nearby to help with setup. After that, the daily job is one tap.
Does it work for snowbirds who spend the winter in the US?
Yes. I'm Alive works anywhere the phone has signal, Florida or Arizona included. Alerts still reach contacts in Canada by email and app notification, and by text message on Protect Me.
Does one plan cover both parents?
No. Each plan protects one person who checks in on their own phone, so each parent needs their own plan. That way you hear if either one misses.
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