Daily check-in calls provide peace of mind for Wake seniors, their loved ones

Anyone living alone and age 65 or older can get a daily check-in call from the Wake County Sheriff's Office.

The long-running service was suspended under Sheriff Gerald Baker, but after Sheriff Willie Rowe was elected in November 2022, he moved to bring it back.

Here is how the Citizen's Well Check Program works:

• Each morning at 9 a.m., registered participants get a phone call.
• They answer and press 1 to indicate they are alive and well.
• If the call goes unanswered, the service calls a second time, five minutes later.
• If the second call is not answered, the sheriff's office reaches out to the person's emergency contact – a family member, caregiver or friend – in case someone has gone on vacation or forgets to put a pause on the calls for any other reason.
• If the emergency contact can't quickly establish that the person's wellbeing and location, the sheriff's office sends someone to check on the house.

Individuals can register for the calls at 984-298-1363.

Rebecca Bumgardner, 92, and Shirley Debnam, 77, users of the service under former Wake Sheriff Donnie Harrison were on hand for the announcement and praised its value.

"Us old folks are good, but sometimes we need help once in a while," Bumgardner said.

"You never know when you are going to need EMS or anyone else when there is not a neighbor near," Debnam said. "I do live alone. I have two children, but they are not close and work far away as well."

The service is available for free to any Wake County resident 65 or older who lives alone. Rowe characterized it as a chance to care for and give back to those who "have poured so much into our lives and helped us become who we are."

"This program is nationwide, and it is no additional cost to the sheriff's office and the taxpayers," he pointed out.

Calls resume on Tuesday.