Living Alone in Edinburgh? A Daily Check-in Is Your Safety Net

Edinburgh has Scotland's highest rate of single-person households. A free daily check-in keeps your family informed — through every Scottish winter.

Download Free See How It Works

Free forever • No credit card • iOS & Android

I'm Alive app showing the I'm Okay check-in button

The Problem

Sound familiar? You're not alone.

Worrying about an aging parent living alone in Edinburgh

Daily phone calls are hard to schedule across busy lives

No reliable way to know something's wrong without constant checking

How I'm Alive Solves This

A simple solution that actually works.

One-tap daily check-in takes seconds from their routine

You're notified the moment they miss a check-in — not before

No pendant, no hardware, no GPS tracking — location only in a real emergency, auto-deleted in 72 hours

Why This Works for You

Edinburgh has one of the highest proportions of people living alone in Scotland, from tenement flats in Marchmont and Leith to family homes in Morningside, Corstorphine and out across the Lothians.
Scottish winters bring ice, biting wind and very short daylight hours — in December the city sees barely seven hours of light — and that combination keeps solo residents, especially older ones, housebound for long stretches.
Students at the University of Edinburgh and Heriot-Watt live independently across the city, many away from family in England or overseas for the first time.
A council telecare alarm or a private careline pendant typically costs around £10-£30 a month plus a setup fee and only helps if it is worn and the button is pressed. I'm Alive is free on iPhone and Android, needs nothing fitted to the home, and raises the alarm from a missed check-in instead.
Privacy-first: no GPS tracking and no cameras. An approximate location is shared only during an active emergency escalation and auto-deleted after 72 hours; the daily check-in stores no location at all.
In an emergency call 999, or NHS 24 on 111 for urgent-but-not-life-threatening advice in Scotland — I'm Alive is the early warning that tells your family when to. See /location/uk for the UK-wide picture and /living-alone for solo-living safety.

How It Works

Three simple steps.

Set Your Time

Choose when to check in each day

Tap I'm Okay

One tap confirms you're safe

Auto-Alert

Miss a check-in? Contact is notified

Features

One-Tap Check-In

Large, easy button - done in seconds

Customizable Schedule

Set your perfect check-in time

Smart Alerts (Protect Me)

Escalating notifications to your contacts if you miss a check-in

Check-In Notes

Add context like 'Going hiking today'

History Tracking

See all your past check-ins

Free to Start

Daily self check-in and reminders are always free; add Protect Me for contact alerting

Frequently Asked Questions

I'm a senior living alone in Morningside.

You tap once a day to confirm you are okay, and the free check-in reminds you if you are running late. On Protect Me, if you miss it the family member you chose is alerted automatically. It is a quiet daily safety net that lets you stay independent in your own home, with one large button and nothing to learn.

Edinburgh winters are harsh. How does this help?

If ice, a fall or a sudden illness stops you checking in, Protect Me alerts your family automatically because silence, not a button-press, is what triggers it. Through a long dark Scottish winter, when you might not leave the flat for days, that early warning gives someone the chance to call, come round or ring 999 far sooner than they otherwise would.

I'm at Edinburgh Uni and my parents are in England.

One daily tap quietly replaces the 'are you okay?' phone calls. Your parents get reassurance without you having to remember to phone, and they are only alerted if you actually miss a check-in. It keeps worried family calm across the border while you settle into living on your own.

Is this free?

Yes — the daily check-in and the reminders to you are free forever, with no hidden subscription and no card required. Automatic alerting of your family when you miss a check-in is part of Protect Me ($29.99/year), which also adds up to ten contacts, a caregiver dashboard and SMS alerts.

Does it work in the Highlands if I go hiking?

Yes — set your check-in for when you expect to be back within phone signal. On Protect Me, if you miss it your contact is alerted, so they know to raise the alarm if a Munro or a coastal walk goes wrong. The app only needs a brief moment of connectivity to register the check-in, which suits patchy Highland coverage.