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FEBRUARY | MARCH 2023 • MONTANA SENIOR NEWS
CHECK-IN SERVICES | CONTINUED FROM PAGE 38
at those times, asking them to check in by
tapping a big green check button on their
smartphone screen. If they don’t check in
within 10 minutes or respond after multiple
pings, Snug notifies emergency contacts
and shares the user’s last known location,
so they can receive help quickly.
For extra peace of mind, your loved
one can purchase Snug’s premium plan
($10/month), where, in addition to notify-
ing emergency contacts, Snug can request
an in-person wellness check by a police
officer who will visit their house to con-
firm they’re OK and provide assistance as
needed. The app works with iPhone and
Android smartphones.
CHECK-IN CALLS
If your loved one doesn’t use a smart-
phone, another option to help ensure their
safety is a daily check-in call service program.
These are telephone reassurance programs,
usually run by police or sheriff’s departments,
in hundreds of counties across the country.
They are usually provided free of charge.
Here’s how they work. An automated
phone system calls your loved one at a
designated time each day to check in. If they
answer, the system assumes everything is
OK. But if they don’t pick up, or if the call
goes to voicemail after repeated tries, you
(or whoever is the designee) gets a notifi-
cation call. If the designee is not reachable,
calls are then made to backup contacts
who’ve also agreed to check on your loved
one if necessary.
If no one is reachable, the police or
other emergency services personnel will be
dispatched to your loved one’s home.
To find out if this service is available
in their community, call the local police
department’s non-emergency number. You
should also check with the Area Agency on
Aging in their area—call 800-677-1116 for
contact information.
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SPOTLIGHTS 39
If, however, their community doesn’t
have a call check-in program, businesses
like CARE (Call-Reassurance.com) and
IAmFine (Iamfine.com) offer similar services
for under $15 per month.
TECHNOLOGY DEVICES
You may also want to invest in some
simple technology aids to keep your loved
one safe. One of the most commonly used
devices for this is a medical alert system
that costs about $1 per day. These systems
come with a wearable “help button” that
allows calling for help 24/7.
Another option that’s becoming increas-
ingly popular is the use of smart speakers,
like Amazon Alexa or Google Home. These
devices work with third-party applications—
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Me: How old are your kids?
Patient: 44 and 39 from my wife who
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Patient: Well, the older ones didn’t give
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