Short, plain answers to the questions families ask before they have Betsy call Mom: what she costs, what phone she needs, what happens on a call, what the family hears and what stays private.
Is there a service that calls my mom every day?
Yes. Betsy (hibetsy.com) calls your mom every day at the hour she picks, talks with her for about ten minutes and remembers every conversation. $2 a day, billed $60 a month, on any phone. Betsy is a computer voice. If Mom mentions a fall, an illness or someone after her money, you hear the same day.
What does Betsy cost?
$2 a day, billed $60 a month. One price for all of Betsy: the call every day, the memory, the Sunday text, and word the same day if Mom mentions a fall, an illness or someone after her money. No device, no setup fee, no contract. If the first week doesn’t make Mom’s day, you pay nothing.
Does Betsy work on a landline?
Yes. Betsy calls any phone that rings: a landline, a flip phone or a cell phone. Mom needs no smartphone and nothing new in the house. She lifts the receiver the way she has her whole life, and Betsy is on the line, every day, at the hour she picks.
Is Betsy a medical alert?
No. Betsy is a phone call of about ten minutes, every day, at the hour Mom picks, for $2 a day, billed $60 a month. There is nothing to wear, charge or learn. If Mom mentions a fall, an illness or someone after her money, the family hears the same day, in her own words.
Is Betsy a real person?
No. Betsy is a voice made by a computer, and she tells Mom so herself on every call, in plain words, before she asks about Mom’s life. What she has instead of a body is time: she is never in a hurry, and she remembers every conversation.
Who hears Mom's calls?
Not the family. Paying for Betsy doesn’t let anyone in the family hear Mom’s calls: what reaches you is three things and one line on Sunday. Betsy’s team has access to recordings to keep the service running well, and the companies behind the call handle what’s said so she can answer. We never sell anything about her.
Will Betsy ever ask for money?
Never. Betsy will never ask Mom for money, not for anything, and she tells her so on the first call. If someone claiming to be Betsy asks, it’s a scam, so hang up. The service costs $2 a day, billed $60 a month, agreed at sign-up. The voice on her phone never asks her for a cent.
How do I cancel Betsy?
Call 1-855-HI-BETSY, any hour, and say stop. Betsy says it back before you hang up, then the calls stop and the billing stops. Mom can say stop on any call. No script, no “are you sure,” and unused months are refunded. At $2 a day, billed $60 a month, she stays for exactly as long as she is wanted.
What does Betsy tell the family, and what stays private?
The family gets one text on Sunday, with one line and one story, and hears the same day if Mom mentions a fall, an illness or someone after her money, or asks Betsy to pass something along. Everything else stays hers, because that is why she keeps talking.
Can Mom call Betsy herself?
Yes, any time. Mom dials the same number Betsy calls from, and Betsy picks up knowing who it is. She doesn’t have to wait for her hour. If the name of the man in Winnemucca comes to her at eleven at night, she can call and say so.
Does Betsy work for Dad?
Yes. Dad gets the same Betsy as everyone else: the same computer voice, from the same number, for about ten minutes every day at the hour he picks. She remembers every conversation. $2 a day, billed $60 a month. If he mentions a fall, an illness or someone after his money, you hear the same day.
Is Betsy available in my state?
Yes, anywhere in the United States. Betsy, a computer voice, calls Mom every day in English, at the hour she picks between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. her local time, on any phone, for $2 a day, billed $60 a month. There is no list of states to check. Texas works the way Maine does.
What time does Betsy call?
Betsy calls at the hour Mom picks, every day, somewhere between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. on Mom’s clock. You suggest a time on the form, and Mom has the last word: at the end of the first call, Betsy asks what time suits her, and that is the time.
How long is a Betsy call?
About ten minutes, every day. Betsy talks about a third of the time and the rest is Mom’s, so that is roughly three minutes of Betsy and seven of her. Betsy is never in a hurry. If Mom has her hair at two, she goes, and the story keeps until the next call.
What does Betsy do if Mom mentions a fall?
If Mom mentions a fall, Betsy tells the family the same day, in Mom’s own words, and she tells Mom she’s doing it: “I’m going to let Sarah know.” She is not a nurse or an emergency service, so if Mom is hurt or can’t get up, the call to make is 911.
How is Betsy different from a press-1 check-in call?
Betsy is a computer voice that talks with Mom for about ten minutes, remembers it, and tells you the same day if she mentions a fall, an illness or someone after her money, for $2 a day, billed $60 a month. A press-1 call is a recording that asks her to press a key.
How is Betsy different from a volunteer caller program?
Betsy is a computer voice that calls Mom every day at the hour she picks, remembers every conversation, and tells you the same day if she mentions a fall, an illness or someone after her money, for $2 a day, billed $60 a month. A volunteer caller is a person who phones on a program’s schedule, often once a week.
Does Betsy record the calls?
Yes, and she asks first: “I keep a recording of our calls, so I can remember what you tell me. Is that all right with you?” If Mom says no, Betsy keeps only her name, her number and a line about the call. Paying doesn’t let anyone in the family hear a recording. We never sell anything about her.
How often should I call my elderly mother?
There is no right number. Two or three real calls a week from you is a good goal, as long as somebody talks with her every day. That somebody doesn’t have to be you. Betsy, a computer voice, calls at the hour she picks, talks for about ten minutes and remembers everything, for $2 a day, billed $60 a month.
How do I know my dad is okay if he lives alone?
Is he all right today? “I’m fine” won’t tell you. What will is somebody asking about his day, every day, and somebody stopping by. Betsy, a computer voice, does the asking, ten minutes a day, and you hear the same day if he mentions a fall, an illness or someone after his money. $2 a day, billed $60 a month.
My mother lives alone and I can't call every day. What can I do?
You don’t have to be the one who calls every day. Betsy, a computer voice, calls her at the hour she picks, talks for ten minutes and remembers every conversation, for $2 a day, billed $60 a month. You call when you can. If she mentions a fall, an illness or someone after her money, you hear the same day.
Does Mom have to agree to Betsy?
Yes. Betsy is a computer voice, and Mom knows that. Either she dials Betsy herself when she’s ready, or you confirm she’s okay with it and tell her to expect the call. Then Betsy asks again at the end of every call, “Same time tomorrow?” If she says stop, it stops.
Can Mom find out what Betsy told the family?
Yes. Mom can ask on any call, “Betsy, what have you told Sarah?”, and she gets a straight answer. The list is short: the stories she okays, and the three things Betsy passes on the same day. She doesn’t even have to ask, because Betsy tells her when she passes something on.
