Dad's objection is usually simple: he does not want a box around his neck, and he does not think he will fall. Your objection is also simple: if he is on the bathroom floor at night, the device is the only thing that gets a person to him within minutes. Your job on the cost side is to find the version he will actually wear at a price the household can keep paying for, without paying for features he will never use.
Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.
What pushes the total up
The monitoring tier is the biggest lever. Basic emergency-button service costs less than tiers that add automatic fall detection, activity tracking, or extra features. Read the tier description line by line and ask the company what each added feature does, how it is tested, and whether false alarms are billed. Do not assume a feature works the way the sales page suggests.
Contract length matters next. A plan that requires a long term usually costs less per month than a month-to-month plan, but it also locks you in if Dad refuses to wear the device after the first week. Ask whether a month-to-month option exists at the level you need, and what the notice period is for cancelling.
Watch the add-ons. Extra responder contacts, a second device for a spouse, a charging dock, a replacement battery, and a replacement unit after a lost or broken pendant can each carry a separate charge. Ask for the full list of possible charges in writing before you sign.
Connection type can add cost on its own. Some devices need a cellular plan that you pay for separately, and some need a landline. Check the house before you order: a home with weak cell signal in the bathroom may need a different unit or a different plan.
What pulls the total down
Buy only the tier that covers his real risk. If he is mostly steady on his feet and worried about the stairs at night, a simple button with a short contact list may be enough. You can add tiers later if the first one proves itself.
Ask whether any benefit you already have, through his health coverage or a local program, includes an emergency device or a discount. Do not assume it does. Ask the question, get the answer in writing, and keep the answer with the policy papers.
What to check on the paper
Compare twelve-month totals, not the monthly number. Write down the monthly fee, what it includes, the cost of each extra contact, the cancellation terms, the return window, and who owns the equipment if you cancel. Ask what happens when the battery runs down and whether the company charges for the replacement. Ask how the company handles a press when there is no answer.
Dad's side of the decision
He is not wrong to resist a device that looks like a hospital bracelet. Let him choose among the styles included in the tier he is getting. Test the device at home for a week, with him wearing it, and show him the one-button call sequence while he is sitting in his chair, not after a scare. A device that stays in a drawer costs the same monthly as one that stays on his body, so the wearing rate is the number that decides whether the money is wasted.
Next move: Gather the offer paper or the last three bills, write the twelve-month total for each option side by side, and then call the company and ask the questions above in writing. If the answers are vague, use the Sources page to find where to check the claim before you pay.