Check On Your Elderly Parent Every Day, Without Hovering
Your parent gets one text a day and replies OK. You stop wondering. If they don't answer, we send a reminder, call them, then text and call you and the family until someone confirms they're on it.
- You set it up, they say yes
- Up to 5 family contacts
- $1 for 7 days, then $14.99/mo
Cancel anytime. No contract, no equipment. US phone numbers only.
You do the setup. They answer one text a day.
Signing up on someone else's behalf is the most common way families start. Your parent never needs an account or a password.
- 1
You set it up for them
Choose "for a loved one", then enter your parent's name, cell number, time zone and the time the daily text should arrive. It takes about five minutes.
- 2
They say yes by text
Your parent gets a text saying you signed them up, and replies YES to start. Nothing starts without their agreement.
- 3
Add the family
Add yourself, siblings, a neighbor or a friend nearby, up to 5 people. Each confirms by replying YES, so you know every number works.
- 4
Check-ins begin
Your parent replies OK once a day. You can see each check-in in your dashboard, and you only hear from us if something is missed.
What your parent sees
- One text at the time you picked together, like 9:00 AM
- A reply of OK, YES or "I'm fine" is all it takes
- A reminder text and a phone call if they miss one
- Nothing to wear, charge, install or log into
What you see
- Today's status: checked in, waiting, or missed
- A calendar of every check-in, with the full alert timeline for any missed day
- Controls to change times, add contacts or pause for a trip
- A text and a call if a check-in is missed and you're on the list
What happens when a check-in is missed
This is the exact sequence for a 9:00 AM check-in. It stops the moment your parent replies or someone in the family confirms they're checking.
- 9:00 AM
Check-in text
"Time for your daily check-in! Reply YES or OK by 9:30 AM."
- 9:30 AM
Reminder text
A second text, in case the first one was missed.
- 10:00 AM
Automated phone call
We call the phone directly. Answering and pressing 1 counts as checking in.
- 10:15 AM
Care circle alert
Your first contact gets a text, then a call two minutes later. About every 15 to 20 minutes the next contact is alerted, until one of them confirms they are on it.
If nobody responds, we go through the list again, up to three times. Contacts only receive alerts after they've opted in, so a wrong number never sits silently on the list.
Other ways families keep an eye on a parent
Most families combine a few of these. Costs are typical US ranges as of October 2026.
| Feature | CheckRise | Calling them every day | Cameras or home sensors | Medical alert pendant |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Daily effort for you | None unless a check-in is missed | A call every day, at a time you both remember | Watching a feed or an app | None |
| How it feels to your parent | One text, no device in the house | Warm, but can feel like being checked up on | Often feels like being watched | A pendant to wear and charge |
| Notices when they can't respond | Yes, silence starts the alerts | Only if you notice they didn't pick up | Depends on the system | Only with optional fall detection; otherwise they have to press the button |
| Works when you are busy, traveling or asleep | Yes, alerts go down a list of up to 5 people | No | Only if someone is watching | Yes, via a monitoring center |
| Typical cost | $1 for 7 days, then $14.99/mo | Free | $100+ for equipment, often plus a subscription | About $25 to $50/mo |
More help: our guides to checking on elderly parents living alone, what to do when a parent refuses help, and how to request a welfare check if you can't reach them right now.
A good fit if
- Your parent lives alone and wants to stay home
- You live too far away to drop by, or work long days
- They would refuse cameras or a pendant
- You want siblings or a neighbor to share the load
Not the right tool if
- Your parent's only phone is a landline
- You need fall detection or a direct line to 911
- You want to see where they are
- They live outside the United States
Less than 50 cents a day. No contracts. No catches.
Medical alert systems charge $50–89/month, lock you into multi-year contracts, and hit you with $2,500+ cancellation fees.
CheckRise is $14.99/mo with a $1 trial — and you can cancel with one click.
What's included
Over 1,200 people trust CheckRise to check on them every day. Try it for $1 and give yourself the peace of mind today.
Frequently
Asked Questions
Questions families ask before setting up check-ins for a parent
A daily check-in service does the asking for you. CheckRise texts your parent at the same time each day and they reply OK. If they don't, it sends a reminder, calls them, and then texts and calls you and the other contacts you choose, one by one, until someone confirms they're checking.
No, and we think that's a good thing. After you sign up, your parent receives a text explaining that you set up CheckRise. Check-ins only start once they reply YES. If they reply STOP, nothing is sent.
Your dashboard shows that the invite is still waiting and lets you resend it. Many families mention it on the phone first, so the text is expected. Our guide on what to do when an elderly parent refuses help has scripts for that conversation.
Add yourself as a care circle contact and you're alerted by text and phone call if a check-in is missed. Put the person who lives closest first, since contacts are alerted in order, roughly 15 to 20 minutes apart, until one of them confirms.
Yes. One account manages the schedule, and up to 5 people can be on the care circle. Each person confirms by replying YES to an opt-in text before they can receive alerts.
No. There is no GPS, no camera, no microphone and nothing installed in the home. The only signal is whether your parent answered the daily text.
Any cell phone that can receive text messages, including a basic flip phone. There is no app, account or password for your parent. If their only phone is a landline, CheckRise is not the right fit.
$1 for a 7-day trial, then $14.99 a month. That includes up to 3 check-ins a day and up to 5 care circle contacts. There is no contract and you can cancel anytime from your account.
Don't wait for the call you're afraid of
It takes 60 seconds to set up. It works from day one. And you'll never have to wonder "are they okay?" again.
No contract · Cancel anytime · No app needed
