Living Alone- A Check-in Call

Vanessa2U

Vanessa2U

New Member
I live alone and my sisters are older than me. I'm 70.
If I died who would know it?
Has anyone come across a way that someone can check up on you? Maybe give you a call every 2 days?
I don't want to burden my neighbors or family with this task.
Is there something out there in this high tech world who could check up on me every 2 days or so?
I thought I saw somewhere where you could get an app to call you or something. (shrug)
Thank you!
 

Here, where I live, the residents group thought a once a week call to each of us would be good. Everyone was interested, but when it came time for the calls nothing happened.
There are a lot of new people who haved moved in and and several of the longer residents who are moving out. There are always open apts here and that does not happen if the place is desirable by the general public. I've been told there is a new manager starting the first of November.
As for me, I keep to myself.
 

Vanessa2U said:
I live alone and my sisters are older than me. I'm 70.
If I died who would know it?
Has anyone come across a way that someone can check up on you? Maybe give you a call every 2 days?
I don't want to burden my neighbors or family with this task.
Is there something out there in this high tech world who could check up on me every 2 days or so?
I thought I saw somewhere where you could get an app to call you or something. (shrug)
Thank you!
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Welcome Vanessa.
It's the duty of your family to check on you periodically by phone or email.
Or maybe you could send your sisters an email once a week. Not hearing from you would alert them that something may be wrong.
 
At 80 having lost my wife 8 years ago now and living in on my own property in a rural location I am fortunate in having my working son passing through each morning and having supper with me most evenings. With without that interaction I would be in the funny farm, I do wonder how those of you who only get occasional interaction with folks (as apposed to rare telephone or email interaction) remain sane and functional?
 
Vanessa2U said:
I live alone and my sisters are older than me. I'm 70.
If I died who would know it?
Has anyone come across a way that someone can check up on you? Maybe give you a call every 2 days?
I don't want to burden my neighbors or family with this task.
Is there something out there in this high tech world who could check up on me every 2 days or so?
I thought I saw somewhere where you could get an app to call you or something. (shrug)
Thank you!
Click to expand...

Do you have a church group or some type of social group you get together with?
No one calls to check up on me, but I'm pretty sure if I didn't show up at church, someone would call me. I've thought about getting a medical alert button in case I should fall. I live kind of rurally and the reception is poor out here so I haven't checked on it recently. I know we got one for my husband but the reception was poor so we gave it up. But...if you're somewhere you can get good reception, that might be an idea if you can afford it. It's not the same as a friend or relative who cares, but it's something for your protection.
 
In my town, the police department has a free service for people 65 and older. If you have no family living in the county (the town is the county seat) you register with them and give them a house key.

You then call them between 6AM and 10 PM every day. If you don't, they will call you. If you don't answer the phone, they send a cop or two out to you. I've been doing this for several years, it works beautifully and gives me peace of mind.
 
bobcat said:
Snug Safe is a free app you can get on your phone and it checks in once a day. They also have a pay plan that offers more services. Here's the link: Snug Safety - Free Daily Check in service for seniors living alone
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officerripley said:
That's the one, thanks, bobcat!
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I've been using the free version of Snug for almost 2 years now. I picked a check in in time and if I don't check in by or before that time, they text my emergency contact. If I want them to be more persistent and do multiple texts and / or contact local officials, I would need to get the paid version. Otherwise, one text to my contact I believe is all they do. But that's okay with me.

I do not forget to check in, which is as easy as pushing one button on my phone. I do that first thing every day when I wake up. Now, one morning only, something serious happened here and I failed to check in. They sent the text to my contact because he called me to see if I was okay.

Their app is so easy to use. They never send me junk emails or anything like that. They emailed me one day to let me know their service was temporarily down, but that only happrned one time. And maybe 2, 3 times they have emailed me to advise of additional services available on their paid version., but never any pressure tactics. That's it.
 
Vanessa2U said:
I live alone and my sisters are older than me. I'm 70.
If I died who would know it?
Has anyone come across a way that someone can check up on you? Maybe give you a call every 2 days?
Click to expand...
In my state (Maryland) the Department of Aging has a free service for people over 65. I get an automated call each day, if I don't answer it, after 3 tries (10 min apart), the next auto call (I guess another 10 minutes later) goes to the backup number I gave them (my daughter). If no answer there, they will contact the local non-emergency services to check on me.

I'm not perfectly happy with it, because if I fell down injured etc I wouldn't really want to suffer for up to 24 hours. One of the people in the apartments on the same floor here fell and she luckily had the type of button you pay for that she could press and even talk to them to get them to send an ambulance. She also had a box on her door so the emergency people could open her door. She'd broken several vertebra (fell backwards) and was in the hospital for three weeks. I'm so glad she had a button to get immediate help.
 
I often think about this.
Living alone, I have one friend I visit. I discourage anyone coming to my place.
If I was to die, how long would it be before anyone was concerned enough to make enquiries?
I would say a minimum of one month.
I have house inspections every 4 months.
Water and electricity bills need my input to be paid.
They are paid on the day I receive them.
If I never paid a bill on time, then maybe the landlord would enquire after 2 weeks?
 
Bretrick said:
I often think about this.
Living alone, I have one friend I visit. I discourage anyone coming to my place.
If I was to die, how long would it be before anyone was concerned enough to make enquiries?
I would say a minimum of one month.
I have house inspections every 4 months.
Water and electricity bills need my input to be paid.
They are paid on the day I receive them.
If I never paid a bill on time, then maybe the landlord would enquire after 2 weeks?
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Once I'm dead, I'm not going to care if anyone checked on me. If I've fell or suddenly got severely ill, I hope I'd be able to get to my phone and call for help. I wouldn't want to die like that.
 
TeePee said:
Once I'm dead, I'm not going to care if anyone checked on me. If I've fell or suddenly got severely ill, I hope I'd be able to get to my phone and call for help. I wouldn't want to die like that.
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I kinda feel the same. I dont worry about it but I have made some adjustments.
I keep a phone on the floor so that I can get to it. I also keep my panic alarm pendant low too.
Before I shower or do anything sketchy like get up on a ladder I turn off my alarm and unlock the back door.

I probably should sign up for one of those check in apps since theres no one to check on me.
My house is paid off so theres no landlord. Ive heard that sometimes the mailman will ask
for a welfare check if your mailbox overflows. But that could take weeks.

Bretrick said:
Not the best way to go. Imagine having a stroke, unable to move, unable to talk, lying on the floor until death comes along.
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I agree not the best way. My old neighbor had a stroke. He ended up totally paralyzed and confined to a bed. He was incontinent and he couldnt talk only grunt. To me that is not living. I would rather die on the floor.
 
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TeePee said:
Once I'm dead, I'm not going to care if anyone checked on me. If I've fell or suddenly got severely ill, I hope I'd be able to get to my phone and call for help. I wouldn't want to die like that.
Click to expand...
That's understandable, but someone eventually will have the duty of finding us. I think about the unpleasant situation they would have to deal with, if my body was found 3 days after my death, if you know what I mean - and that is something I don't want them to have to go through.
 
As a follow up the the positive response I got to my earlier post in this thread I wonder how may of those here are in town with neighbors close, as in a apartment or 'home', or in a more isolated situation.
As a lifelong rural resident now in my own home out of sight of the road in my 40 acre woodland I just cant imagine having to move 'into town' due to need for extra care and support but I suspect many if not most older widowed folks are forced to do so.
 
MACKTEXAS said:
That's understandable, but someone eventually will have the duty of finding us. I think about the unpleasant situation they would have to deal with, if my body was found 3 days after my death, if you know what I mean - and that is something I don't want them to have to go through.
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We can only take thoughtful precautions and do our best. Beyond that, we shouldn't worry --it's not good for us.
 
gruntlabor said:
We can only take thoughtful precautions and do our best. Beyond that, we shouldn't worry --it's not good for us.
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That's true. Using Snug helped ease a bit of that worry for me, but it often happens that many things don't go as we plan.
 

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