A Check-In App for Elderly Parents Living Alone — Safety Without Surveillance
A check-in app for elderly parents lets your mother or father confirm “all OK” with one daily tap — and if they ever don’t, it alerts you on its own. That’s how Still OK works: your parent checks in, and if a check-in is missed, you’re notified automatically via WhatsApp, SMS and email, with their location on request. 34% of people aged 65 and over in Germany live alone (Destatis, Mikrozensus 2024). It isn’t about taking away their independence — it’s about the quiet certainty that you’d find out if something went wrong. No tracking, no constant monitoring, GDPR-compliant and ad-free.
How it works
Your parent sets a check-in interval — usually once a day. Before it runs out, the app reminds them to tap “All OK.” If they don’t, you’re notified automatically. Nothing happens in between: your parent actively checks in, they’re never watched and never tracked. Still OK is a safety net, not a replacement for the emergency services — in an acute emergency, always call your local emergency number first.
Set it up for your parent in 60 seconds
- Install Still OK on your parent’s smartphone and add yourself (and any siblings) as the emergency contact.
- Choose a daily check-in time that fits their routine — for example, by midday after breakfast.
- Place the widget on their home screen, so checking in is one tap — and send a test alert so they see how it works.
What matters when a parent lives alone
- One-tap check-in — a home screen widget means your parent doesn’t open the app or learn menus. One tap over morning coffee, and it’s done.
- Multi-channel alerts to you — email, WhatsApp and SMS, so the message reaches you whatever phone you carry. Add siblings, and everyone is notified at once.
- Their language, your language — Still OK speaks 45 languages. Your mother sees the app in German; her son in London gets the alert in English.
- Location only in an emergency — your parent’s GPS location is shared only when an alert fires, never as ongoing tracking.
- Pause for hospital or holidays — heading to hospital or on a trip? Pause protection with one tap, no false alarms, with automatic reactivation.
- Ad-free & GDPR-compliant — all data in EU data centres, no ads, not even in the free version.
An app instead of a medical alert box
Many families first look at a classic medical alert system — a pendant or base station with a 24/7 call centre. In Germany this is the Hausnotruf, and it has its place: it reaches a human dispatcher at the press of a button, even for someone with no smartphone. But it means hardware in the home, a monthly fee of roughly 25–30 €, an installation appointment and usually a 12- to 24-month contract, and it only works inside the flat.
Still OK takes the opposite approach: it lives on the smartphone your parent already carries — in the garden, on the bus, on holiday. The basic version is free and ad-free, with no contract and no base station. It doesn’t replace a Hausnotruf for someone who needs an instant button to a call centre. But for an active senior who simply wants their family to know they’re okay, it’s the lighter, more modern fit.
A quiet Thursday
Renate, 74, lives alone in her flat in Dortmund — still gardening, still doing her own shopping. Her daughter Birgit lives two hours away in Kassel and calls when she can, but worries on the days they miss each other. One Thursday Renate’s midday check-in doesn’t come. The app reminds her twice; when there’s still no tap, Birgit gets a message via WhatsApp and email with her mother’s last location. She rings a neighbour, who finds Renate on the floor with a sprained ankle. Help arrives in an hour, not three days.
It’s not about treating your parent as helpless. It’s about a safety net that’s there if the day ever goes wrong.
Frequently asked questions
My mother or father doesn’t have a smartphone — does this work?
No. Still OK runs on your parent’s own smartphone — that’s where the check-in happens. If your parent uses only a landline or a basic feature phone, Still OK isn’t the right tool; a classic Hausnotruf with a base station would suit better. For a parent who already has and uses a smartphone, setup takes under two minutes.
Isn’t this just surveillance of my parents?
No. Your parent actively checks in — they’re never tracked, and there’s no location, no cameras and no movement analysis. An alert only fires if a check-in is missed, and their location is shared only in that alert. Their independence and dignity stay intact; they decide, every day, to say “I’m okay.”
Do I need a Hausnotruf instead, or is an app enough?
It depends on the need. A Hausnotruf (a medical alert box with a 24/7 call centre) suits someone who needs an instant button to a dispatcher and may not carry a phone — but it means hardware, roughly 25–30 € a month, an install appointment and a contract, and only works at home. Still OK suits an active senior who carries a smartphone and wants family alerted if they miss a check-in: free to start, no contract, and it works anywhere. Many families use the app and skip the hardware.
Do I (the emergency contact) need to install the app?
No. You’re reached via email, WhatsApp and SMS — no app required. You only need a phone. Siblings can be added as contacts too, so the whole family is notified at once.
What does it cost?
The basic version is free and ad-free: email alerts with one contact, a daily check-in, pause mode and the widget. Premium (€4.99/month or €34.99/year) adds WhatsApp & SMS alerts, GPS location, an SOS button, flexible intervals and unlimited contacts — useful if several relatives should be notified or your parent lives somewhere with patchy internet.
Does Still OK detect falls or call an ambulance?
No. Still OK doesn’t detect falls and doesn’t call the emergency services for you. It quietly notices when your parent doesn’t check in and makes sure you find out, so you can act. For an acute emergency, always call your local emergency number.