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My mom lives alone, and she wants to get an automated message every morning asking if she's OK. If she doesn’t reply within a certain time, it should notify me or a list of people she added to the emergency contact.
Ideally, I'd prefer a solution that works with SMS for the check-in, but I'm open to any recommendations!

I have a friend who really likes the snug safety app, which is free. I believe that if she doesn’t check in by the time she has chosen, she will get a text or two, and then after a time period, her contact will be texted or called. Since my husband died, I don’t have daily contact with any one person and I’m thinking about signing up myself even though I’m pretty young. I’m retired and my activities are different every day so no particular friend/organization would miss me if I didn’t show up one day, unless something was scheduled.
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Reply to MidwestOT
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When my grandma was alive, and aging in place..we had a calling tree set up. There happened to be seven family members willing to be responsible for calling g-ma in the morning, and then again at night. (This was in the 80's, no computers or cell phones).

I think 'my day' was Tuesday and I'd simply call her in the morning to check in on her and then again in the evening. It was not a burden and split among 7 of us, certainly not a burden. In fact, I often ended up going to get her for a drive and lunch on 'my day'. I'd take whatever kid was around with me. I have great memories of those fun days with GG. She was up for anything!

She did also wear a fall pendant. That was just extra 'fall' coverage.

She lived alone and in her own home until she was 95. A shining example of independence and grace. We should all be so lucky.

Calling once a week? It wasn't onerous or hard at all. This took a lot of 'worry' off of mom, who was her POA and only child living nearby. Plus, it kept me close to my g-ma and I don't regret that.

Nowadays, the Apple Watch, which all my g-kids wear, communication is instant. My kids can track their kids, communicate with them and it saves a ton of angst. I think the trouble with those watches is that they do come with a little bit of a learning curve.
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Reply to Midkid58
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We are getting a lot of these questions lately. I think they are ads. Not certain, but I hope our readers take care and check on costs carefully.
I can't understand the need for such an advice. To me it is a matter of a one on one simple phone call. How hard is that?
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Reply to AlvaDeer
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For those who use Apple devices, this app is great! It is fairly easy to set up and simple to use. We have tested the app extensively and found it delivers as promised and is reliable. One of the things I really like is it sends notifications to my Apple watch and I can check-in from the watch. It also allows me to call for help from my watch. This is important, as I’m not always close to my iPhone and iPad. Caregivers only receive a notification if I do not check-in, or when I request help or for someone to call me, so it is not burdensome for those participating. Something very important to me is the app works anywhere in the world and in any time zone, provided you have an Internet connection. Most apps I looked at are limited in where they will work, which is typically US, Canada and maybe a few other countries. Technical support is excellent and the app’s developer is open to feedback on how it can be improved. There are a few areas where documentation could use some improvement, but I’ve already seen helpful changes based on my feedback and questions and they have promised other refinements, all minor in nature, are coming, based on feedback I’ve given. In short, I highly recommend the Dooinwell app.They offer a 2 month trial, which is plenty of time to decide if this app is right for your needs. The piece of mind it gives me, and my caregivers, is worth every penny!
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Reply to Byoung
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Geaton777 Sep 20, 2024
How much is the subscription?
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Here's what I found when I did a browser search for "phone check-in service for seniors who live alone" in my home state (MN):

https://aceswmn.org/self-supporting-services/telephone-reassurance/#:~:text=A.C.E.'s%20trained%20Telephone%20Reassurance,or%20someone%20to%20talk%20to.

Do a search for your home state.
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Reply to Geaton777
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Is there a reason that someone doesn't wish to make a simple call every a.m., p.m. or both? Just a "Hi, just checking to see you are OK".
I can imagine you might have to correct for a lot of "chit chat " she has time for and you don't, but that's just good practice I would think.

I would love to know if something such as you mention actually exists, so I will be following here.

Best of luck.
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