How to check on an elderly parent from far away
You live hours away, or in another state. Your mom or dad lives on their own. You call, they answer, and for a moment you know they're fine. Then the call ends and the worry starts again. Here is how families close that distance.
Build a small circle close to them
Distance matters most when something goes wrong and nobody nearby knows.
- Find one person who lives close. A neighbor, a friend from church, a relative across town. Ask if you can call them when you can't reach your parent.
- Keep their numbers in one place. Your parent's doctor, the neighbor, a nearby friend.
- Agree on a plan. Who goes over if nobody answers, and how fast.
Know they're OK every day, without the call
A daily call works until the day nobody picks up. Then you don't know if they're in the garden, asleep, or hurt.
Lanturne gives you the answer every morning. Your parent wears a Wear OS smartwatch and taps I'm OK once a day. You see it on your phone, wherever you are. If the tap doesn't come by the time you choose, your phone gets an alert.
Make the nearby person your backup contact
Lanturne lets you name one backup contact at no extra cost. If you don't answer an alert after a few minutes, it goes to them too. The person who lives close is the natural choice. They can get there while you're still on the road.
Every alert shows what happened, when, and where the watch was. It has a Call 911 button that opens the phone's dialer.
What else Lanturne watches for
- The watch goes quiet for longer than you chose.
- The watch is worn but finds no pulse and no movement.
- They hold the HELP button.
- The watch detects a fall and they don't cancel it.
What you need
An Android phone for you, a Wear OS smartwatch for them, and an Android phone in their home to set up the watch the first time. Refurbished Galaxy watches start at $89. Everything you need
Lanturne is $30 a month, or $120 a year, with the first 7 days free. It is not a medical device and not an emergency service.