Blog

Guides for families who want to know that the people they care about are OK, without watching over them.

• The landline switch-off and your parent's personal alarm

  The UK's old landline network closes on 31 January 2027. What changes for a telecare or personal alarm, how to check that it still works, who to call, and what happens in a power cut.

• Senior safety apps: what they do and how to choose one

  The four kinds of senior safety app for Android and iPhone, what each one costs, where each one fails, and the questions to ask before your parent installs one.

• Elderly parent not answering the phone: what to do

  Your mom or dad lives alone and does not pick up. The usual reasons, what to do in what order, the signs that it is urgent, and how to make the next time easier.

• How to request a wellness check on an elderly parent

  Your parent lives alone and you cannot reach them. Who to call for a wellness or welfare check in the US, the UK and Spain, what to have ready, and what happens next.

• Caring for elderly parents from a distance

  Your parents live in another city or another country. How to build a local circle, keep the important papers in one place, share the work with siblings and know they are OK between visits.

• When an elderly parent refuses help

  Your mom or dad says no to every alarm, carer and app. Why older parents refuse help, how to talk about it without a fight, and the kinds of help they accept more easily.

• The Are You Dead app on Android: what it is and what to use instead

  The Are You Dead app (now Demumu) went viral in January 2026. What it does, why people wanted it, the catch with a check-in tap, and what to use on Android instead.

• How to check on an elderly parent who lives alone

  Calls, neighbours, alarms, watches, cameras and apps: what each way of checking on a parent who lives alone does well, where it fails, and how to choose.