Buttonworks and medical alert pendants
A pendant exists for a fall. It is one button, and pressing it means emergency. That makes it useless for asking about anything else, and the evidence on whether it gets worn at all is not encouraging.
Where a pendant works well
- In independent living and off the premises, there is no wall cord, and a pendant is the only thing there.
- Automatic fall detection catches events nobody could have reported.
- It needs no reading, no typing, and no phone.
Where it runs out
- They are frequently not worn. A 2026 study of 2,695 adults found 44% had fallen while only 9% used a medical alert device.
- A press means emergency and nothing else. There is no way to ask for a blanket, a light bulb, or a question about dinner.
- False alarms make staff slower and wearers less willing to keep it on.
- In a facility, it duplicates the call system rather than adding to it.
Side by side
| Pendant | Buttonworks | |
|---|---|---|
| What it can say | Emergency | Anything, in the resident's own words |
| Has to be worn | Yes | No. It is the phone they already use |
| Everyday requests | No | Yes |
| Automatic fall detection | Yes, on some devices | No |
| Works off the premises | Yes | Yes, it is a messaging app |
| Emergencies | Yes, this is what it is for | No. Call 911 or use the call button |
What happens with Buttonworks
- Nothing has to be worn, charged, or remembered. The resident uses the app their family already messages them on.
- The request can be anything, because it is a sentence rather than a button.
- A voice note works for a resident who does not want to type.
- Every request leaves a record, which a button press never does.
A pendant and Buttonworks answer different questions. One is for the emergency. The other is for the other several hundred things a resident needs in a month.
Buttonworks is not an emergency service, has no fall detection, and does not replace a personal emergency response system, your facility's emergency call system, or trained staff. In an emergency, call 911 or use your facility's emergency call button.
Buttonworks is in early access. Statistics on this page are cited on the Sources page. See the other comparisons, or what Buttonworks does.
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