Home / Answers / How do I make an emergency plan for a parent who lives alone?
Answers

How do I make an emergency plan for a parent who lives alone?

A good emergency plan covers four things: how your parent calls for help, who gets told, what responders and family need to know, and a regular test that it still works. Write it down, keep a copy where responders can find it, and review it every few months and after any fall or hospital stay.1

Updated October 2026.

The short version

  • Decide how they call for help: phone, a HELP button, a watch.
  • Decide who is told, and in what order.
  • Keep a one-page sheet with the information responders and family need.
  • Arrange a key or entry for someone nearby.
  • Test and review it regularly.

The four parts

  1. Calling for help. Your parent should always have a way within reach, including in the bedroom and bathroom, and when they are alone in the yard.
  2. Who is told. Agree on the people, and make sure they can be reached. A CareTeam means everyone hears at once, not only one person.
  3. What they need to know. A one-page sheet makes everything easier for family and first responders.
  4. How anyone gets in. A neighbor with a key, or a lockbox, so help is not delayed at the door.

What to put on the one-page sheet

  • Name, address and an emergency contact list with phone numbers.
  • Medical conditions, medications and allergies.
  • Doctors and pharmacy, preferred hospital, and insurance information.
  • Who has a key, and where a spare is kept.

Keep a copy on the fridge and in the phone’s emergency information, and share one with each family member. With KinectedCare, the HELP alert also shows a CareID screen a stranger or first responder can use to reach the person’s people.1

Ways to call for help

Your parent can call emergency services from a phone, and some watches have their own emergency features. KinectedCare adds a HELP button on the phone or watch that alerts the whole CareTeam at once, and when a fall-detection-capable watch detects a fall, KinectedCare notifies the CareTeam.1 See will my family be notified if my parent falls?

Test it and review it

Practice together: press the button, check the right people get the alert, and confirm the phone and watch are charged. Review the plan every few months and after any fall, hospital stay or change in health. Make a charging routine part of the plan.

Questions people ask

What should be on an emergency information sheet?
Medical conditions, medications, allergies, doctors, emergency contacts, insurance and preferred hospital, plus who has a key. Keep it current and in a place first responders can find.
Who should have a key?
A trusted neighbor, friend or family member nearby, so help can get in quickly. A lockbox is another option.
How often should we review the plan?
Every few months, and after a fall, hospital stay or any change in health or living situation.
What if the phone or watch battery is dead?
Make charging a daily routine, keep a charger near where your parent sits and sleeps, and have a second way to call for help.
Does KinectedCare detect falls?
No. Fall detection is the watch’s own feature. When a fall-detection-capable smartwatch detects a fall, the watch’s operating system handles the emergency response, and KinectedCare notifies the CareTeam.
Does KinectedCare replace emergency services?
No. KinectedCare is not a medical device or an emergency service. If someone may be hurt, call local emergency services first.

Keep reading

Sources

  • Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: older adult fall prevention. cdc.gov/falls

Set up your family’s CareTeam in minutes.

Free to start on iOS and Android, no pendant, no contract.

Download KinectedCare free