What should I tell someone I'm adding to my support network?

Tell them you are naming them as one of three people who would check on you in an emergency. Give them a copy of your medication list, your emergency contact information, your doctor's name and number, and a description of any medical equipment you depend on. Show them where your medications are stored and where your emergency bag is. Give them a key if they live nearby. Make sure they have a way to reach the other two people in your network.

How do I build a support network if I don't have family nearby?

Start with your nearest neighbors. Many communities have check-in programs through local aging agencies, churches, or civic organizations. Some areas offer telephone reassurance programs where a volunteer calls daily. A medical alert system provides a technological backup, but it does not replace a human relationship with someone who knows your routine. Consider offering something in return: watching packages, sharing garden produce, or being available by phone for the neighbor's children.

What is a daily check-in system and how do I set one up?

A daily check-in is a simple agreement: one person contacts you at a set time every day, by phone call or text. If you do not answer, they try again in 30 minutes. If there is still no answer, they call the next person on the list, who either tries to reach you or goes to your home to check. The system works because it is a habit, not an emergency procedure. The daily call itself takes two minutes. What it creates is a guarantee that no one goes unnoticed for more than a few hours.

Who Will Check on You? Building Your Personal Support Network

Why this matters most

Equipment fails alone. People don't.

You can own a generator, a month of stored water, a complete medication bag, and a fire escape plan. If you fall at 2 a.m. and no one knows until Thursday, none of it matters. The single most important element in senior emergency preparedness is not a piece of equipment. It is the answer to one question: who knows you need help?

The American Red Cross recommends that older adults establish a personal support network of at least three family members, friends, or neighbors who will check on them in an emergency. Three is the minimum because any single person can be unavailable, traveling, or affected by the same event.

This guide is about building that network deliberately rather than hoping it appears when you need it. It costs nothing. It takes an afternoon. And it is the foundation that every other guide in this section depends on.

What a support network does

Checks on you when phones, power, or roads fail
Knows your medications and where they are stored
Can drive you when roads are unsafe or you cannot drive
Offers a warm or cool place during an extended outage
Contacts emergency services if you cannot
Provides information to first responders about your conditions

Source: American Red Cross, "Older Adults Emergency Preparedness." Accessed August 2026.

Step 1

Name three people. Tell them.

If you cannot name three people right now who would check on you after a power outage, a storm, or a fall, that gap is the single most important thing to address in your entire preparedness plan. More important than water. More important than batteries. More important than a generator.

1

A nearby neighbor

The person who lives closest to you. In a power outage, when phones may not work and roads may be impassable, physical proximity is the most reliable form of communication. A neighbor who can walk to your door is more useful than a family member 200 miles away.

Give them a key. Show them where your medications are. Tell them about any medical equipment that needs power.

2

A family member or close friend

Someone who knows your medical history, your daily routine, and your doctors. This person does not need to live nearby, but they need to be reachable by phone and willing to coordinate help if the neighbor reports a problem. They are the backup decision-maker.

Give them copies of your medication list, your insurance information, and your advance directive if you have one.

3

A third person

Another neighbor, a friend from church, a member of your community, a former coworker. This person exists because your neighbor might be on vacation and your family member might be unreachable. Three contacts means the system still works when one link breaks.

Make sure each person has a way to reach the other two. That connection is what turns three individuals into a network.

The most important step is telling them.

Naming someone in your head does not create a support network. Telling them does. Say: "I'm naming you as one of three people who would check on me if there's an emergency. Here's who the other two are. Here's my medication list. Here's where I keep the key." That conversation takes ten minutes and creates something no amount of equipment can replace.

Step 2

Establish a daily check-in.

The daily check-in is the most underrated piece of senior preparedness. It is not an emergency procedure. It is a two-minute habit that guarantees no one goes unnoticed for more than a few hours.

How the system works

1

Person A calls at a set time every day

A phone call, a text, a knock on the door. The same time, every day. It becomes routine.

2

No answer? Try again in 30 minutes

You might be in the shower, in the yard, or napping. One missed call is normal.

3

Still no answer? Call person B

Person B tries to reach you. If they also cannot, the neighbor with the key goes to your home.

4

The neighbor checks in person

This is why the neighbor has a key. If you have fallen, had a medical event, or simply cannot get to the phone, someone is there within hours, not days.

Rotating the daily call

The daily call does not have to come from the same person every day. Some networks rotate: person A calls Monday, Wednesday, Friday; person B calls Tuesday, Thursday; person C calls on weekends. The distribution makes it sustainable and means each person in the network stays engaged rather than one person carrying the entire responsibility.

When you travel or leave home

The Red Cross recommends that older adults notify their support network when they leave town and when they arrive back home. This simple habit prevents a false alarm when you are visiting family and prevents the network from assuming you are fine when you are actually in trouble.

Step 3

Give each person what they need.

Naming someone is the start. Equipping them is what makes the network functional. Each person in your network should have enough information to help you or to hand off to emergency services.

The nearby neighbor

A key to your home
Your cell phone number and a landline if you have one
The names and phone numbers of the other two people in your network
A general description of any medical conditions ("uses oxygen," "takes insulin," "has a pacemaker")
Where in your home the medication list is posted (refrigerator, bedroom door)
Whether you have a pet that would need immediate care

The family member or decision-maker

A complete copy of your medication list
Copies of insurance cards (Medicare, Medicaid, supplemental)
Doctor names and phone numbers
Pharmacy name and phone number
Advance directive or healthcare power of attorney (if applicable)
A plan for what happens if you need to leave your home and cannot return quickly

When family is far away

Building a network from where you are.

Not everyone has family nearby. Some older adults have outlived their closest friends. Some have moved to a new area in retirement. Some have family relationships that do not include this kind of support. The network still needs to be built. It just starts from a different place.

Places to start

Your nearest neighbors: introduce yourself if you have not. A plate of cookies and a short conversation can start something that lasts years
Your local Area Agency on Aging (find yours at eldercare.acl.gov or by calling 211)
Churches, synagogues, mosques, or other faith communities, even if you attend only occasionally
Senior centers, community centers, or library programs
Telephone reassurance programs (many counties operate these through their aging services office)
Volunteer driver programs and meal delivery services, which often check in as part of the service

Making it reciprocal

A support network works better when it goes both ways. Even if your physical capacity is limited, you can offer something in return. Watching for packages when a neighbor is at work. Being the person another senior calls in the morning. Sharing produce from a garden. Being available by phone when a neighbor's teenager needs an adult to talk to.

Reciprocity is not a transaction. It is what makes the relationship durable. People are more willing to help someone who has helped them, and they are more willing to stay connected to someone who needs them for something other than emergencies.

The goal is not to create an obligation. It is to create a relationship where checking in is natural, not burdensome.

The technological layer

Medical alert systems: a backup, not a replacement.

A wearable medical alert device with a button that contacts emergency services is a valuable backup for people who live alone or who are at risk of falls. But it is a backup. It does not replace a human relationship with someone who knows your routine, your medications, and your voice well enough to recognize when something is wrong.

When a medical alert system helps

You live alone and could fall when no one is expected
You have a medical condition that could cause sudden incapacitation
Your daily check-in system has gaps (nights, weekends)
You want a way to reach help without getting to a phone

What a medical alert system cannot do

Help if you are unconscious and cannot press the button (unless it has automatic fall detection)
Work during a prolonged power and cellular outage (most depend on cellular or landline service)
Notice that you have not eaten, taken your medications, or left the house in two days
Provide the comfort, conversation, and social connection that reduce isolation

Formal programs

Let your community know you exist.

Beyond your personal network, many communities maintain registries that help first responders identify people who may need assistance during an emergency. These are not a substitute for personal connections, but they add an additional layer.

Local emergency registries

Many counties and municipalities maintain voluntary registries for residents who may need assistance during an emergency. Ready.gov recommends registering with programs such as SMART911, CodeRED, or your local county registry, which help first responders identify people who may need immediate assistance.

Contact your local emergency management office or dial 211 to find out what programs are available in your area.

Utility priority lists

Some electric utilities maintain lists of customers who depend on electrically powered medical equipment. Being on this list may result in priority notification before planned outages and priority restoration during unplanned ones. It does not guarantee uninterrupted service, but it ensures the utility knows your situation.

Call your electric utility and ask about their medical baseline or life-support equipment program.

This week

Four things to do right now.

1

Write down three names. If you cannot think of three, write down who you have and identify where the third will come from.

Time: 5 minutes

2

Have the conversation. Tell each person you are naming them. Give each one the other two names and phone numbers.

Time: 30 minutes total

3

Give a neighbor your key and your medication list. Show them where the medications are stored and tell them about any medical equipment.

Time: 10 minutes

4

Set up a daily check-in. Agree on a time, agree on what happens if there is no answer. Start tomorrow.