Set up in about five minutes. Cancel any time — nothing arrives in the post.
See plansHow it works
Nothing to install, nothing to charge, nothing for your parent to learn. Below is the whole thing — the voice that calls, a real recording, the signal we send you, and the dashboard your family shares.
Porchlight
Let's set up Mom's daily call. It takes about five minutes.
A phone showing Porchlight setup: choosing Sarah as the companion, a warm tone at a slower pace, a 9:00 AM daily call, medication and appointment reminders, and a finished confirmation screen.
Step 1 of 6
Step 01 · Set it up
Choose their companion
Warm and unhurried · American · Midwest
A soft, steady voice that leaves plenty of room to answer.
A short clip of a real check-in call.
Speaks slowly, with longer pauses between questions.
Tuesday · 9:00 AM · with Sarah
A real recording — the transcript below follows along as it plays. Voice, tone and pace above change the written example, not this clip.
Sarah
Hi Connie, it's Sarah from Porchlight. Just checking in today to see how everything is going.
Connie
Oh, hello Sarah. I'm doing alright, just having my morning tea.
Sarah
That sounds nice. Did you sleep okay last night?
Connie
Not too bad. I was up once, but I got back to sleep.
Sarah
I'm glad to hear it. Anything on your mind today, or plans with Margaret?
Connie
Yes, she's coming by at eleven. We're going to sit on the porch.
Sarah
That sounds lovely. I'll check in with you again tomorrow, Connie. Have a good day.
Speaks slowly, with longer pauses between questions.
Their number
Landline, cordless, flip phone, or mobile.
Their time
The same minute every day, so it becomes routine.
Their world
The dog, the church group, the knee that's been playing up.
Step 02 · The call arrives
“Mom gets her call at 9:00 every morning, and by 9:20 I have a short summary on my phone. I stopped starting my day with that knot in my stomach.”
Dana WhitfieldDaughter · Asheville, NCStep 03 · We listen
After this morning's call
Today · 9:14 AM · 3 min · Sample
Wellness markers
Energy
3.8 ↑ 6%
How much lift is in the voice, and how long the answers run.
Mood
4.2 ↑ 12%
Warmth, humour, and whether the day sounds like something to look forward to.
Clarity
4.1 ↑ 9%
Word-finding, repeated questions, and how easily the thread is kept.
Breathing
4.4 ↑ 3%
Pauses mid-sentence, effort between words, and audible shortness of breath.
What the signal means
The score is a prompt for a human being, never a medical judgement. Porchlight does not diagnose, does not give medical advice, and is not an emergency service.
Step 04 · Your family is notified
9:17
Wednesday · Sample
All seems well
Connie sounded bright — slept well, had breakfast, and mentioned a visitor at eleven.
Text · to Dana, Margaret, Tom
Tap to open
1The message arrives
A short text minutes after the call.
Good morning!
Today's update for Connie · 9:14 AM
Had her tea outside and mentioned the neighbour's dog in the tomatoes again. Ray came on after her — steady and dry as ever. Said the coffee was 'strong enough to stand a spoon in'.
Mood
4.2 ↑ 12%
Energy
3.8 ↑ 6%
Care Circle
You
Margaret
Tom
Lisa2Open the message
Today's read opens in the family dashboard.
9:21
Wednesday · Sample
Worth checking inImportant
Connie's voice was slower and the call ended early. She followed the conversation without trouble.
Text · to Dana
Suggested next step
A short call this afternoon. You decide what it means.
Also by email · Delivered
3Know when something changes
A clear nudge, with what was heard.
“The daily summary is short and human — no jargon, no scary scores. Just how the conversation went and whether anything is worth a follow-up.”
Greg HalloranSon · Portland, MEStep 05 · You act together
Good morning!
Here’s today’s update for Connie.
2026-07-29 — 9:14 AM
Had her tea outside and mentioned the neighbour's dog in the tomatoes again. Ray came on after her — steady and dry as ever. Said the coffee was 'strong enough to stand a spoon in'.
A warm daily call.
A simple update.
Mood
4.2 ↑ 12%
Energy
3.8 ↑ 6%
Clarity
4.1 ↑ 9%
Balance
4.3 ↑ 8%
YouDaughterMargaretSisterTomSonLisaDaughterI’m feeling pretty good today! Slept fairly well and had my usual breakfast. Margaret is coming over around eleven and we’re going to take a short walk if the weather’s nice.
Connie · Today at 9:14 AM
A positive week!
Connie had 7 successful check-ins, with consistent mood, energy, and several social activities.
Illustrative sample. Your dashboard fills in from your own calls.
Step 06 · Beyond the call
Just home from a hospital stay or a procedure? For a few weeks the call changes shape — gentler questions about how the days are going, a quiet check that the medicines have been taken, and a mention of the follow-up appointment. Add a short evening call if you want one, or keep it to once a day.
Who's picking up the prescription, who's driving on Thursday. Everyone in the circle sees the same list, so nothing gets done twice and nothing gets forgotten.
One quiet timeline of calls, visits, and the small notes families text each other at midnight — kept in one place instead of scattered across five phones.
Insurance cards, the medication list, the doctor's number, the power of attorney. Stored privately, so the person who needs them at 9pm can find them.
None of this is medical care, and none of it replaces a doctor. It's the everyday coordination families already do — just in one place.
Family Reminders
Add appointments, medications, and everyday notes from the family dashboard. Porchlight brings them naturally into the daily call — no app, no alarm, no confusion.
Medications
Gentle prompts that sound like a friendly nudge, not an alarm.
Appointments
A heads-up the day before the doctor, the visit, or the ride.
Birthdays
Help important family dates feel remembered and celebrated.
Everyday notes
A personal message or household reminder delivered in a warm voice.
During the call
Porchlight
Before we finish, Sarah asked me to remind you about your appointment at two this afternoon.
Connie
Oh, thank you. I had nearly forgotten.
Porchlight
You're welcome. Would you like me to mention it again tomorrow morning?
Take it to the doctor
Appointments are short and memory is generous. Porchlight turns your check-in history into a plain, printable summary: how energy, mood, clarity, and breathing have moved, the days worth discussing, and blank lines for the doctor's notes.
whitfield-check-in-summary-jul-2026.pdf
Sample · 2 pages · PDF
Porchlight — Daily check-in summary
Connie & Ray Whitfield · Sample report
Observations only — not a medical assessment.
Period
Jul 1 – Jul 29, 2026
Prepared
Jul 29 for the family
Connie answered nearly every morning call and sounded steady most days. Energy and breathing eased a little mid-month, with two mornings worth mentioning to the doctor. Ray's calls were short and even throughout.
27 of 29
calls answered
6 min
average call length
2
mornings with no answer
9:30 AM
daily call time
22 days sounded steady
5 days worth watching
2 days someone was told
Connie
Energy
3.2 · Easing
Mood
4.3 · Steady
Clarity
4.9 · Steady
Breathing
2.9 · Easing
Ray
Energy
4.1 · Steady
Mood
4.6 · Steady
Breathlessness — 4 mornings, 3 in the last 7 days. Dates: Jul 8, Jul 15, Jul 22, Jul 27.
Most recent note: “had to stop twice on the stairs”
Poor sleep — 6 mornings, 2 in the last 7 days. Dates: Jul 3, Jul 9, Jul 12, Jul 18, Jul 25, Jul 27.
Most recent note: “up three times, then slept in the chair”
Wobbly when standing — 2 mornings. Dates: Jul 5, Jul 11.
Most recent note: “a little wobbly getting up from the table”
Breathlessness
1.2 mornings a week 2.6 mornings a week (+117%)
Mentioned more often than in the weeks before.
Poor sleep
2.0 mornings a week 1.6 mornings a week (-20%)
A little better than usual, still uneven.
Calls answered
93% of mornings 86% of mornings (-7%)
Two mornings with no answer in the last week.
Questions you might ask
Porchlight is not a medical device and does not diagnose. This summary describes what was heard on daily calls.
Prints cleanly in black and white, or saves as a PDF.
Two people, one call
Porchlight rings once, talks with each of them, and reads them separately — so Mom can sound bright on a day Dad sounds short of breath. The household score always reflects whichever of them we'd check on first.
See the second-person priceConnie
Signal 1/5Bright, slept well, expecting a visit at eleven.
Ray
Signal 3/5A little short of breath on the stairs this morning.
One call. One summary. Two people looked after.
“I travel for work and time zones made checking in hard. Now the call happens whether I'm awake or not, and the summary is waiting for me.”
Arjun MehtaSon · Edison, NJPricing
Three plans, three outcomes — from knowing how today went, to staying close through a period of concern. No contracts, no equipment, cancel any time.
Know how today went.
Best for one adult child checking in on one parent.
$39/mo
Billed monthly — $39 a month
Know together.
Best when siblings share responsibility.
$69/mo
Billed monthly — $69 a month
Stay closer during a period of concern.
Best when something has recently changed.
$99/mo
Billed monthly — $99 a month
Add-ons
Add them now or later — nothing here changes the daily call itself.
$19.99 one-time
Porchlight professionals place the first call to walk your loved one through what to expect, and confirm everything is working as intended. Included at no charge with any yearly plan.
$25 one-time
Just home from a hospital stay? For a few weeks we change the call: gentler questions about how the days are going, a quiet check that the medicines have been taken, a mention of the follow-up appointment, and — if you'd like it — a short second call in the evening. One call a day is fine too.
6- or 12-month codes
Pre-paid gift codes for Mother's Day, Father's Day, and other holidays and occasions. No recurring or subscription management needed.
1 free month for both
Refer another family and you both get a free month. Share your link — the credit applies automatically once they start.
Your selection
Recurring: $69 a month
You won't be charged until setup is finished.
Prices are per senior receiving calls, in US dollars. Caring for two parents in the same home? One plan covers the household.
Before you decide
Yes — and we insist on it. Porchlight introduces itself as an automated check-in service at the start of every call. We never pretend to be a human or a family member.
We call once more a short while later. If that call also goes unanswered, you receive a missed-check-in alert. We tell you what we observed and nothing more — the decision about what to do is yours.
Calls are transcribed so we can create your summary, and recordings are kept for a limited period before deletion. Your parent is told at the start of the call, and either of you can ask us to delete the history at any time.
Only the family contacts you invite. We don't sell data, and we don't share summaries with insurers, advertisers, or anyone else.
Yes. Landline, cordless, flip phone, or smartphone — anything that rings.
Yes. Every plan is month to month with no contract, so you can try it for a month and cancel any time from your dashboard.
Set up in about five minutes. Cancel any time.
