Staying Connected During COVID-19 and Beyond

The greatest struggle for me through COVID-19 has been the separation. Staying connected virtually somehow doesn’t feel the same. Even with no words spoken, sitting at by my parents’ side built a connection. Since I have not been able to connect in person at this time, I have still managed to check-in with them frequently.

Free daily check-in service

Even when I was able to pop in and check up on my parents, I was not able to do it every day. I would often get caught up in my busy schedule and even forget to call them on a regular schedule. That is where technology is such a great help.

I am so glad that I have found a free app that offers our family the opportunity to feel at ease and connected. My mom is able to easily check in on her phone. It automatically notifies us all that all is good. It definitely gives me a boost of calmed emotions each day I see that notification.

Check-in with location

The app that my family has been using is Snug. One of my favorite features is that we are able to see the location of the phone when my mom checks in. Living in Florida I always see the Silver Alerts. It is a great concern of mine that my mom is the next one that we would need to be looking for.

Alerts for missed Check-in

About a month ago, my mom missed her Snug check-in. After the attempts from Snug to remind her to check-in via their push notifications and text messages, Snug contacted me. Fortunately, she was outside gardening and got caught up in a conversation with her neighbor. It was very comforting that I was able to be proactive in reaching her when there could have been an issue.

Snug Dispatch plan

After my mom’s episode missing her check-in that day, we upgraded her to a Dispatch plan. In the event that she missed another check-in, a Snug dispatcher would call my mom’s cell phone. If she did not pick up, they will leave a voicemail with a callback number. The Snug employee will then call every one of our family members, in order, to notify us. If necessary they even dispatch a wellness check-in to their last known location.

Friendly Check-in

My mom and our family love the freedom that our Snug check-ins give us. We love that the tone is friendly and reassuring, especially compared to the fear-mongering by some others out there.

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