Does anyone have a recommendation for an app or (extremely) simple system that could be used for a small neighborhood to be able to help keep eyes on their neighbors that live alone?
Not a group text, as there are several neighbors in their 80s, and it’s entirely too much to expect some of them to keep track of who has texted and who hasn’t each day.
But we need a simple “tap once a day to show you’re fine” and an automated system that would flag if someone hadn’t checked in that day.
Decades ago, my diabetic grandmother had a system with her neighbor, where she raised her window shade each morning by a certain time. If she didn’t do that, her neighbor would call her, and then (if she didn’t answer), would call us and knock on her door. There were a few times over the years where that simple system saved her from when she had missed her insulin or was struggling getting over the flu.
This neighborhood doesn’t have sight lines between all the homes, so a simple “shades are up” unfortunately doesn’t work here.
There are solutions for family groups, many options exist for that, but I need something for about 10 households to use in a small neighborhood.
I saw this app, but it has no reviews as of yet. Does anyone have any suggestions or solutions for similar scenarios?
Well, my original response requires site lines, so never mind that one.
I have an aging friend who wasn’t well, and I told him he had to call me every day. He didn’t even have to leave a message, he just needed to call. Then I could check my caller ID and know he called, and all was good. This person wasn’t good with technology, and I’m not sure if your neighbors are or not.
If you’re trying to work it for the entire neighborhood, the one who takes the calls would have to do the data entry or whatever to let others know, so maybe it won’t work…
Yes - that’s the tricky part. Eyes on 1-2 people is simple. But collectively working out a system that doesn’t feel intrusive, and also doesn’t feel like “too much to do” is what we’re trying to figure out. Making and logging calls each day would be too much - most are in their 70s, some are in their 80s and live alone, and the one youngest neighbor is in their 50s.
I’m one of the adult children (who doesn’t live there), it’s my parent’s neighborhood, and after two different neighbors had strokes this year, my folks asked me to help them come up with a simple system of essentially running a virtual flag up each morning, so as a group they’d be able to give a friendly door knock if someone hadn’t done so, but they’d otherwise not be directly in touch every day.
Not really a neighborhood thing, but at my mom’s CCRC they had a sensor on the fridge in independent living so if a person didn’t open their fridge that triggered the staff to go check on them.
A lot of older people ( even people in their 60’s and 70’s) don’t have smartphones or don’t use apps. I say this as someone who is 69 years old. I am surprised by how many people my age or slightly older this applies to.
They only come Monday through Friday. If you don’t answer your door, they have a procedure to check and make sure you are ok.
We came to visit, took my mil to lunch. Forgot to cancel meals on wheels. They called her next door neighbor who called us to make sure as she saw our car there.
Buddy system is better than nothing. My mom’s friend sends her a selfie every morning by 10 AM and my mom sends one back. The selfies are funny. (They are in their 80s)
Snug Safety (iOS + Android) — the simplest, most-recommended one for this exact use case. It checks in on you every day at a time of your choosing, and if you don’t respond, it lets your pre-selected emergency contacts know your location and that you did not check in so they can provide aid. It has a free tier, no learning curve, no configuration headaches — it just does a daily check-in and alerts contacts if you miss it. This is probably your best bet.
Dead Man’s Switch (Google Play) — also free. You can create multiple switches with custom names and countdown durations, and if a switch expires, the backend automatically sends emails to your chosen recipients. It includes local reminder notifications and a grace period buffer to prevent accidental false alarms.
For seniors who don’t have a smart phone and don’t want to use apps, there is a company that will do an automated call and the person just needs to press a button after they answer. The system will call back a few times before alerting the contact list. I think it’s called something like I am Fine. But, it’s not free.
My husband’s grandmother, in her 90’s, arranged with the neighbor across the street to hang a stained glass bird in her front window when she got up, and take it down when she went to bed. It seemed to work for them.
Would it be possible to organize them into buddy pairs, so everyone is not watching out for everyone? Then maybe sightlines would be possible, or morning check-ins. My H’s two aunts call each other every morning.
This isn’t particularly responsive to your question but deals with the underlying safety issue. Smart watches can be an incredible safety feature for older folks. It will call 911 if it senses that you’ve fallen down. It can also alert you in the event you have certain irregular heart rhythms. We credit my H’s watch for alerting him to AFib, and the cardiologist at the ER said he hears similar stories all the time. Your risk of stroke is 5x greater with AFib, that’s a huge number, and the risk immediately goes down with blood thinners. This is one product that’s well worth the money.
If this is for an elderly parent who might forget to open an app, I’d look at Cozy Check-ins. The person doesn’t even need to install an app. They receive a daily text with a single big button, tap it, and the family gets confirmation.
There is also I Am Fine, which claims to automatically detect activity through the phone’s step counter and check the person in when it detects movement. That could be better for someone who might forget the daily tap, although I’d be more cautious about relying on automatic activity detection as the sole safety mechanism.
Yes, our county does that. Don’t remember how it works, possibly the 911 center places an outgoing call to check on the resident. If they don’t answer, they will call back within a certain amount of time. They will then send a police officer for a welfare check. I can’t remember how they let them know if they are going to be away for a while but somehow it worked. So, check with your local Senior Center and/or Police/Sheriff’s Office to see if they may have a program already in place.
Interesting thread! I like the sensor on the fridge (alerts contacts if not opened). It’s tied to the failure of the elder to take a certain action - doesn’t require anything from them.
My friend’s MIL lives next door, but she is 103. She has a “I’ve fallen and I can’t get up” thing she hangs around her neck and it has gone off a few times. Usually she tells the operator she just set it off and doesn’t need help but one time she did fall and break her hip, so they got her help (her son lives next door). Now she also has caretakers who come in every morning, a daughter who calls every night at 7, and her son/DIL (my friend) who are over several times a day for different purposes (shut off the sprinklers, give eye medicine, deliver food and prescriptions).
If there are any neighbors who are in danger of falling, I’d suggest the pager thing that calls the service after falling. I think it also sends a notice if no movement for xxx amount of time.
This is more of a family thing. My mother used to email me every day, with subject line “Sunday” etc. LOL - I’d skim her many paragraphs, then reply with a few sentences. If it got toward 9pm and I did not see the email, I’d give her a call. She’d usually say she had started it but not yet hit send. But… I did not notice that in her last winter/spring that was happening more frequently. It was 2020/Covid, lots of distractions for us all. Wish I had realized she was slowing down. Eventually got her onto oxygen.
A warning about smart phones and other apps that rely on a signal or on wi-fi. Fall alarms are not infallible or 100% reliable. We have a friend whose mother fell and was on the floor for hours because the watch alert failed due to tech issues. GIve whatever you are using an occasional look for issues and keep it updated.
My mother arranged an emergency pendant that relied on her old fashioned landline (so no monthly fees). Once a month she arranged a test session. It tested the device as well as giving practice to me (#1 on the list) to answer quickly and keep it from going down the list of contacts (last one being 911). But when she did fall one time, she opted to drag herself to desk and pull down the phone.