Free check-in call programs for older people living alone

What these programs are

They go by different names: telephone reassurance, friendly calling, daily check-in, or a program run by the local sheriff with a name like "Are You OK?". The idea is the same. Somebody, or an automated system, rings her at an agreed time. If she does not answer, a named contact is called, and in some programs an officer or volunteer goes to the house.

They are usually run by one of these:

• The Area Agency on Aging that covers her county.
• The sheriff's office or the local police department.
• A senior center, a church, or a volunteer group.
• Some hospitals and health systems, for patients after discharge.

How to find one near her

1. Call the Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116, or search at eldercare.acl.gov. It is a free federal service that connects you to the Area Agency on Aging for her area. Ask for "telephone reassurance" by name.
2. Dial 211 from a phone in her area, or ask her to. It lists local social services, including call programs.
3. Ring the sheriff's or police non-emergency line for her town and ask whether they run a daily call or check program for seniors.
4. Ask the senior center or her place of worship. Volunteer calling programs are often run from there and known mostly by word of mouth.

We keep a list of the programs we could confirm on an official page, state by state, each with its number and the day we read it. Many sheriff's programs go by "Are You OK?": how those compare with a paid call.

Questions to ask before you sign her up

• Does it run every day, including weekends and holidays?
• At what time, and can she choose it?
• What happens exactly when she does not answer, and how long until somebody is told?
• Who is told: family, a neighbor, the police? Can there be more than one person, in order?
• Is it a person or an automated call? Does the same volunteer call each time?
• Is there a waiting list, or an age or income rule to qualify?

The answer to the third question matters most. A call that notes "no answer" and tries again tomorrow does very little on the one morning it counts.

Where free programs are the better choice

A volunteer who rings for a chat is a real person, and for a parent who is lonely that can mean more than any reminder. If her county runs a good program every day and it fits her routine, start there. It costs nothing to try, and you can always add something later.

When a paid call fits better

Free programs are run with the staff and volunteers they have, so they vary a lot from county to county. A paid daily check-in call can make sense when the local program does not run on weekends, has a waiting list, only calls one contact, or calls at a time that does not suit her.

This is what Care does, so you can compare: it rings every day at the time you set, in her time zone. On a missed morning it rings again and sends her a text, and if she still does not answer, the people on your list are told by text and email, one after another, until somebody confirms. You can add up to three questions of your own, and you can hear the call on your own phone for free before deciding.

Some families use both: a volunteer who calls for a talk once or twice a week, and a short automated call every morning so a bad day is never missed.

Questions

Are there free daily check-in calls for seniors?

Yes, in many places. Area Agencies on Aging, sheriff's offices, police departments and volunteer groups run them. The Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116 can tell you what exists in her county.

What is telephone reassurance?

A program that calls an older person at a set time to make sure they are alright, and contacts somebody if they do not answer. It is the name most Area Agencies on Aging use.

Who do I call to find a program near my parent?

The Eldercare Locator at 1-800-677-1116, 211 from a phone in her area, or the non-emergency line of her local sheriff or police.