A free app to check on an elderly parent every day
A guide by Joey Tan, FiveClose · 8 November 2026
If your mum or dad lives alone, the hardest part is not knowing. You don't want to ring every morning to ask "are you alright?", and they don't want to be checked on like a patient. A daily check-in app sits in between: your parent does one small thing each day, and if they don't, you find out quickly.
The short answer
- Pick an app where just opening it counts, so your parent doesn't have to remember a task.
- Make sure they need no account or password: you set it up, they scan one code.
- Choose how long a silence should be before you're told: a day or two for someone who lives alone.
- Add one or two people who live nearby, so someone can knock on the door.
How a daily check-in app works
The app keeps a timer for your parent. Every sign of life restarts it: opening the app, tapping "I'm OK", or playing a short game. If the timer runs out, the people your parent chose are told, starting with you. You call; usually there's a simple reason (a flat phone, a busy day), and you tap that they're fine. If you can't reach them, the others are asked to help, and everyone can see who has taken it on.
What to look for
- No sign-in for your parent. Passwords and email codes are where most parents give up.
- Big text and big buttons, with their people one tap away to call.
- A timer you can set: a week is fine for a friend; a day or two suits someone living alone.
- You first, then others, so one quiet afternoon doesn't alarm the whole family.
- No location tracking unless your parent chooses it.
- Free, or at least clear about the price before you start.
Talk to them first
Put it as keeping in touch, not keeping watch: "If your phone's quiet for a day, I'll get a nudge to ring you." Most parents are happier with that than with a daily phone call that feels like an inspection. Agree together who else should be told, and who nearby has a spare key.
What an app can't do
A check-in app notices silence; it doesn't detect a fall or call an ambulance. If you think someone is in danger, call the local emergency number for their address. For a parent at high risk of falls, ask their doctor about a personal alarm as well.
How FiveClose helps
FiveClose does all of the above for free. Sign in on your phone, tap Set up a parent's phone, and scan the QR code with your parent's phone. It opens a simple version with big buttons and no sign-in; just opening it counts as "I'm OK". You can add brothers and sisters so the job is shared.