Is there a free check-in app for someone who lives alone with no family nearby?

Set it up with a friend or neighbor

1. 1Your friend or neighbor signs up at app.hammock365.com or in the app: name, email, password and mobile number. No card.
2. 2They set the check-in time. Pick a time you are always up by.
3. 3They text you a link. It opens in your phone's browser, your name is already filled in, and your button is waiting.
4. 4Each morning you tap I'm Okay. If you have not tapped by the check-in time, they get a text.

Or set it up yourself

Sign up for yourself, pick your check-in time, then share your family code with the person you trust. On the free plan, the first person who joins is the one who gets the text. For the rest of the plan, see who will know if something happens to you.

Can a friend be my check-in contact?

Yes. Solo agers, and anyone aging alone without children, can pick a friend, a neighbor or someone from church. A good contact is:

• Someone who reads texts in the morning and will do something: call you, knock on your door, or call someone who can.
• Someone who lives close by, or knows who does.
• More than one person, if you can. On the free plan only one person gets the text. The paid plan, $14.99 a month, texts everyone who joins, and there is no limit on how many.

What else is free

• The I Need Help button, which texts your contact
• The emergency card: your medications, allergies, doctor and two emergency contacts
• Medication reminders on your screen
• Six one-tap call buttons on your screen

The honest limit

A check-in only helps if someone acts on the text. Hammock365 does not call anyone, and it does not call 911. There is no call center. If nobody near you can check on you, talk with your doctor about a medical alert service as well. In an emergency, call 911.