Free check-in calls for seniors in Texas

Programs we could confirm

• You Are Not Alone (YANA)

  A morning reassurance call at a time she chooses, from background-checked volunteers. Unanswered calls are retried every fifteen minutes; after three, a key holder or dispatch is contacted and a deputy or local police are sent. No charge.

  Run by

  Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office

  Covers

  Fort Bend County

  Who can join

  Seniors or disabled residents of Fort Bend County who live alone.

  How to sign up

  281-341-YANA (9262).

  Source

  fortbendcountytx.gov, read on 2026-11-05

• Are You Okay? Program for Seniors 65+

  Volunteers staff a senior hotline and place check-in calls, with visits and help finding meals, medical care and transport. Free.

  Run by

  Harris County Constable, Precinct 7

  Covers

  Harris County Precinct 7

  Who can join

  Seniors 65 and over in Precinct 7.

  How to sign up

  713-274-3541, or the form on the page.

  Source

  constable7.harriscountytx.gov, read on 2026-11-05

• Are You OK Program

  A weekly call from a trained police volunteer on a set day, asking about her welfare and needs. Free.

  Run by

  Arlington Police Department

  Covers

  City of Arlington

  Who can join

  Arlington residents 65 and over with a working phone, living alone or homebound; not for assisted living residents.

  How to sign up

  The online form; questions (817) 459-5589.

  Source

  arlingtontx.gov, read on 2026-11-05

The Precinct 7 page says both "daily" and "weekly" calls. Ask which when you ring.

If none of these covers her town

• Eldercare Locator, a free federal service: 1-800-677-1116, or eldercare.acl.gov. It connects you to the Area Agency on Aging for her county. Ask for "telephone reassurance" by name.
• 211 from a phone in her area. It lists local services, call programs included.
• The sheriff's office or police department for her town, on the non-emergency line. Some run a daily call for older residents and only mention it when asked.

What to ask before you sign her up

• Does it call every day, or only on weekdays? What about holidays?
• What happens on a missed call, and how long until somebody is told?
• Who is told: you, a neighbor, a deputy at the door?
• Is there a waiting list, an age rule or a county rule?

How Care is different from a free program

If one of these programs covers her and fits her day, start there. It costs nothing, and some of them send a volunteer or a deputy to the door, which no phone service can do.

Care is a paid, automated call, not a volunteer and not a public office. It rings at the time you set, in her time zone, on the days you choose, weekends included. Any phone works, a landline too.

When she does not answer, it rings again ten minutes later and sends a text to her phone, then once more at twenty-five minutes. Then the people on your list are told by text and email, one after another, until somebody confirms. Nobody is sent to her house: the people you listed decide what happens next.

It is not an emergency service, it is not a medical device and it cannot detect a fall. Every call says so, and tells her to hang up and dial 911 if she needs help now.

"Are You OK?" programs and paid daily calls, compared

Questions

Are daily check-in calls for seniors free in Texas?

Many are. Most programs on this page say they are free or have no charge. A few do not state a cost, so ask when you call.

Who runs telephone reassurance programs?

Usually the Area Agency on Aging for the county, a sheriff's office or police department, a senior center, or a volunteer group.

What happens if my parent does not answer a free check-in call?

It depends on the program. Some call a named contact, some send a volunteer or a deputy. Each program's own page, or a call to its number, will tell you.

Can we use a free program and a paid check-in call together?

Yes. Some families keep a volunteer who calls for a chat once or twice a week and add a short automated call every morning.