Demumu ("Are You Dead?") for an elderly parent: what it does, and the alternatives

The viral check-in app for people who live alone, explained — and whether it suits an elderly parent, next to WhatsApp check-ins, daily calls and alarm buttons.

By the Athnova Care team · Updated 2026-09-29

What the app is

In January 2026 a small Chinese app called "Are You Dead?" — Sileme in Chinese, a pun on the food-delivery app Eleme — reached the top of Apple's paid-app chart in China. Outside China it is called Demumu, and its makers said the Chinese version would take that name too.

The idea is simple. You add an emergency contact and tap a large button in the app every day. If you miss two check-ins in a row, the app emails your contact. Reports put the price at about 8 yuan in China and about a dollar elsewhere. It does not call an emergency service; it tells the person you chose.

Why it struck a nerve

Millions of people live alone — in China, one-person households were 17.8% of the households sampled in 2023 — and almost everyone who does has had the same thought: if something happened to me, how long would it take before anyone knew?

Families with a parent who lives alone ask the same question the other way round, and often from another city or another country. That is why the app was talked about far beyond China.

Does it suit an elderly parent?

For a younger person who lives alone and uses apps all day, it is a sensible, cheap safety net. For a parent in their seventies or eighties, a few things work against it:

It is one more app. Many older parents use WhatsApp every day but never open anything else, and a check-in that depends on opening an app depends on remembering to.
Two missed days is a long time after a fall.
The alert is an email. Across time zones, an email can sit unread until the next morning.
Nobody tries your parent first — no reminder in their language, no phone call — and nobody near them is asked to look in.

None of this makes it a bad app. It was built for people who check in on themselves; an elderly parent usually needs a check-in that comes to them.

The alternatives, side by side

Option	What your parent does	When someone is told	Who is told	Cost
Demumu ("Are You Dead?")	Opens the app and taps once a day	After two missed check-ins	Their emergency contact, by email	About $1 (as reported)
A daily WhatsApp check-in such as Athnova Care	Taps a button on a WhatsApp message in their language — no new app	The same day: a reminder after about three hours, then a phone call (in 25 countries), then the family	Every family member in the app, then a neighbour or relative you chose	Free for one parent; full plan $12 a month for the family
An automated daily phone call	Answers a call and presses a key — works on a landline	When the calls go unanswered	Family	Free in some local programmes; paid services about $10–15 a month
An alarm pendant or home emergency button	Presses the button when something happens — if they can	At once, when pressed	A monitoring centre, then family	A monthly fee that varies by country
A family WhatsApp group habit	Sends "good morning" every day	Whenever somebody notices	Whoever reads the group	Free

Facts about Demumu are from the press reports listed under Sources (January 2026). We are not connected with Demumu or its makers.

Which one to choose

Your parent is comfortable with apps and lives near you: Demumu or a similar app is fine.
Your parent lives far away and already uses WhatsApp: a check-in that arrives on WhatsApp, in their language, with a call when they go quiet.
Your parent has no smartphone: a daily phone call they answer by pressing a key.
Your parent is at high risk of falls: an alarm button as well — the daily check-in notices silence, the button calls for help in the moment.

Questions families ask

What is the Demumu app?

A daily check-in app for people who live alone. You tap a button every day; if you miss two check-ins in a row, it emails your emergency contact. In China it went viral in January 2026 under the name "Are You Dead?" (Sileme).

Is "Are You Dead?" the same app as Demumu?

Yes. Demumu is the name used outside China, and its makers said the Chinese version would adopt it too.

Does Demumu call an ambulance or the police?

No. According to reports it alerts the contact you chose, by email. It is not an emergency service.

Is there a check-in like Demumu for parents who do not use apps?

Yes. A WhatsApp check-in such as Athnova Care sends one message a day in your parent's language (21 languages) and they answer with one tap; a daily phone call works even on a landline.

How fast does Athnova Care alert the family?

The same day: a reminder about three hours after an unanswered check-in, then a phone call in their language where our call reaches, then an alert to the family and the neighbour or relative you chose. A parent can also send "SOS" at any time.

Sources

Athnova Care tracks and coordinates care. It does not diagnose, prescribe or replace a doctor. In a medical emergency call the local emergency number.