Plain answers
What eNeighbor Does - and Does Not - Do
eNeighbor™ helps two people stay connected through an ordinary part of the day: the morning.
It is for the person who wants to keep living independently, and for the person who cares about them. It offers a small bit of reassurance without adding a daily call, a wearable device, or a map showing where someone is.
eNeighbor Is Designed to…
| eNeighbor is | eNeighbor is not |
|---|---|
| A simple way for two people to stay connected | A medical-alert service |
| A way to notice when a usual morning phone check-in has not happened | Fall detection or health monitoring |
| An app that works with the smartphone you already use | A pendant, button, or device you have to wear |
| A quiet heads-up for the person you choose | A live location-sharing service |
| Something you set up and control yourself | A replacement for emergency services |
How It Works in Everyday Life
You and someone you care about download eNeighbor and connect with each other.
You choose the time you would like your morning check-in to happen. If you have used your phone by then, your day continues as usual. Nothing pops up, no one is notified, and there is nothing else you need to do.
If you have not used your phone by that time, eNeighbor gives the person you chose a gentle heads-up. They might send a text, make a call, or check in another way.
The eNeighbor widget makes it easy for your chosen person to see whether the morning check-in happened - without needing to know where you are or what you are doing.
It Keeps the Focus on Connection
eNeighbor is meant to be simple.
It does not need to show your location or record what you do on your phone. It is there to recognize one familiar part of your day: that you have used your phone by the time you selected.
That is enough for many people. The person who cares about you does not need a play-by-play of your day. They just appreciate knowing that the morning is moving along as usual.
When eNeighbor May Not Be Enough
eNeighbor is a good fit for a light, everyday connection. It is not designed for urgent medical needs or emergency response.
If someone needs a way to call for immediate help, has a high risk of falling, or needs active health monitoring, a medical-alert service or other care plan may be a better fit.
If you believe someone is in immediate danger, call 911.
Built for Independence
We built eNeighbor around a simple idea: staying independent and staying connected can go together.
Many people want to remain in their own homes, keep their usual routines, and decide for themselves how much support feels helpful. eNeighbor turns a familiar habit - using a smartphone in the morning - into a small moment of connection with someone they trust.
It is not about watching over someone. It is about being there for each other in a way that feels easy, respectful, and normal.
Background: why time matters
A paramedic-based study of people found incapacitated at home documented significantly different outcomes depending on how long they had gone undiscovered. The study is published in the New England Journal of Medicine.
This is research about how these situations unfold. It is not research about any product, and no app has been shown to change these outcomes.
Sources and further reading
- Gurley, R.J., Lum, N., Sande, M., Lo, B., & Katz, M.H. "Persons Found in Their Homes Helpless or Dead." New England Journal of Medicine, 1996;334(26):1710-1716. Population-based study of 387 events among 367 persons over 12 weeks. → Read in NEJM