I received a Care Circle alert. What should I do?

What the alert means

The person you look out for has a daily check-in call or text. When they don't answer, we try again a few times. If we still can't reach them, we contact their Care Circle one person at a time, and you are on that list. The alert comes from 226-406-8446.

Most of the time, there is a simple reason. They were in the garden, in the shower, or out without their phone. But sometimes something is wrong. If they ask for help by pressing 3 or texting HELP, you get the same alert. So every alert is worth acting on.

What to do first

1. Call them. Try both their home phone and their cell, if they have both.
2. If they don't answer and you are nearby, go and check. Knock, and use a spare key if you have one. Our page on entry details covers what to know ahead of time.
3. If you are far away, call someone who lives close to them, or their building superintendent.
4. If you still can't reach them, and there is no sign of an emergency, you can ask local police for a wellness check. See when to call 911, and what a wellness check involves.

Once you know they are okay

Let us know, so we stop contacting other people:

• By text: reply OK to our alert.
• On our call: press 1.
• Online: tap the confirm link in the text or email. It works for 24 hours.

The alert stops, and the person who manages their account is told that you confirmed they are okay.

If you can't check right now

That's okay. You don't have to reply. After a few minutes we move on to the next person in the Care Circle. If you'd like to help later, you can still call the person or their family.

If you hear nothing more

If the person checks in late by themselves, the alert stops. Right now we don't send the people who were already contacted an all-clear. So if you were alerted and then hear nothing more, don't assume. Give them, or their family, a quick call.