Two Romanian entrepreneurs have launched an app that alerts family members if an elderly person stops using their phone

Romanian entrepreneur Răzvan Gîrmacea and Daniel Damian, chief executive of a marketing firm, have launched an app designed to keep elderly people safe, which alerts family members when an older parent's phone has been inactive for an unusually long period. The announcement was made in a press release sent to StartupCafe.ro on Friday.

The app, called Parents are OK, places a strong emphasis on privacy: it runs discreetly in the background and monitors normal phone activity without using GPS, cameras, or microphones. If the phone shows no activity for an unusually extended period, family members designated as trusted contacts receive an alert and can decide whether to check on the person.

The elderly person does not need to wear any additional device or confirm daily, through a manual action, that they are well. The app tracks neither GPS location nor movement history.

Răzvan Gîrmacea, the app's co-founder, explained the motivation behind the product: "I didn't want an app that would let me track what my mother is doing throughout the day. I wanted something far simpler: if her normal activity suddenly stops for an unusually long time, the family should know. Until then, the technology should simply stay in the background."

Who are the founders

Răzvan Gîrmacea is a technology entrepreneur with over 15 years of experience in building digital businesses. He previously founded EduKID, an online retail business selling educational toys launched in 2009 and later sold, as well as Monitor Backlinks, a SaaS platform for SEO professionals — sold for the first time in 2017, bought back by Gîrmacea in 2022, relaunched, and sold again in July 2023. He is also the founder of Competitors App, a competitive intelligence SaaS platform launched in 2017. Over the course of his career, he has launched and tested more than 40 projects and completed three exit transactions across two businesses. Between 2018 and 2021, he served as an expert adviser to the European Commission on IT and innovation projects.

Daniel Damian, the app's co-founder and chief executive of Hook Point Marketing, has 12 years of experience in digital marketing. Within the project, Gîrmacea oversees product architecture and development, whilst Damian leads marketing strategy and the market launch.

According to the two founders, a growing number of elderly people live independently whilst their families often reside in a different city or country. According to OECD data cited in the press release, over 30% of people aged 65 and above in OECD countries were living alone in 2022, a proportion that has increased over the past decade.

Daniel Damian stated: "More and more elderly people are living independently, whilst their families are often in a different city or even a different country. This is becoming an increasingly common reality for families around the world. Parents are OK addresses this need without forcing families to choose between their own peace of mind and respecting their parents' privacy."

How it works and how much it costs

The app allows an elderly parent to be connected with multiple trusted family members or carers, so that the responsibility of monitoring can be shared among siblings or other relatives.

Parents are OK is available worldwide for iPhone and Android, and supports 15 languages. It costs 59.99 RON per month or 599.90 RON per year, following a 21-day free trial period.

According to the founders, the service is designed as an additional layer of safety and reassurance for the family, and does not replace personal contact, professional carers, emergency services, or medical alert systems.