We leave home for the first time, enjoy the freedom of a first pay cheque, rebuild after life’s unexpected turns, or stay in the home we love as we grow older. The circumstances may not always be chosen, but the desire is the same — to live on our own terms, surrounded by the people, places and memories that matter.
That’s why independent living isn’t defined by age, circumstance or ability, but by living the way we want to. Our ambition is not simply to help people live independently, but to make that life rich in confidence, connection and continuity, for as long as they choose it.
Every independent life is supported by a network of relationships that develops over years: family, friends, neighbours, familiar faces, shared routines and the quiet reassurance that comes from belonging somewhere. Some of those people live around the corner. Others may live hundreds or thousands of miles away.
Distance changes where people live. It doesn’t change who matters.
OurGrapeVine exists to help those connections stay part of everyday life — not by replacing them, but by giving the people you choose a quiet, ordinary way to stay close to how you’re doing, wherever they happen to be. That circle is yours to build: family near and far, old friends, a carer or support worker you trust, a neighbour two doors down. They don’t need to know each other. They just need to care about you.
Every life has its own rhythm.
It emerges from ordinary moments that, on their own, seem insignificant: the kettle boiling, the dog being walked, a message answered, a neighbour saying hello, a coffee with friends. None of these moments tells the whole story. Together, they create something quietly reassuring — a sense that life is unfolding as expected.
OurGrapeVine listens for one gentle sign of that, and you choose where it comes from. It can be as simple as pressing a button each day. Or it can come quietly from something you already do: a smart plug behind the kettle or the telly picks up an everyday routine without anyone having to remember anything.
No cameras. No wearables. Nothing to wear or carry. Whichever you choose, the people you’ve invited see, simply and plainly, that the day is unfolding as usual — and hear from us gently when it isn’t.
Nothing replaces a visit. OurGrapeVine just helps you know when to make one.
Most days, nothing needs to happen. That’s exactly the point. Just a quiet sign that the day is unfolding as it usually does — and that quiet, shared between everyone who cares, is the reassurance.
Sometimes a reassuring glance is enough. Sometimes it’s a text, a phone call or a visit. The people you’ve chosen have a shared space to leave notes for each other, so nobody asks the same question twice.
On the days it looks different, everyone knows at once.
No technical knowledge needed, and nothing about it is permanent — you’re in control of every part, and can change it whenever your life does.
Create your account
Quick sign-up with your email. No technical knowledge needed, no complicated setup.
Choose your circle
Invite the people you’d like to stay gently connected with. Family, friends, neighbours, carers — anyone you’d want in the picture. You’re in control of who’s included and what they see.
Choose your sign & preferences
Pick the daily sign that suits how you live — a simple button you press, or a smart plug on an appliance you already use — then decide how much your circle sees and when they hear from OurGrapeVine. You can change any of it at any time.
Free forever, with the manual check-in ready to use straight away. No commitment, and you can cancel any time.
Free forever. Cancel any time. Upgrades available once you have an account.
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Everything you might want to know before you get started.
The service
No. OurGrapeVine is not a falls alarm and does not detect falls or medical emergencies. It watches for a simple, ordinary sign that everything is carrying on as normal — from whichever sensor you choose — and alerts your circle when that sign doesn’t appear when you’ve said it should, so they can reach out.
If you need a falls alarm or emergency response service, please look for a dedicated personal alarm provider. OurGrapeVine works well alongside one.
No — and it’s important to be honest about this. OurGrapeVine watches for a daily sign that the home is being lived in. When that sign doesn’t appear when you’ve said it should, it flags it. It can’t tell you why. A quiet day might mean a long bath, a trip out, an afternoon with a book — or something worth checking on.
There is no substitute for visiting and checking in person if you are concerned. OurGrapeVine gives you one more reason to reach out — not a reason to assume everything is fine.
Whatever you choose it to. OurGrapeVine works from a simple daily sign that the home’s usual rhythm is carrying on, and you pick where it comes from: a simple button you press, or a smart plug on an appliance you use daily, like the kettle or the TV.
Whichever you pick, it watches for that one ordinary sign — and flags when the day is quieter than you’ve said it should be. It never sees specific detail: not what you’re watching, not which room you’re in beyond the broadest sense, not what you’re doing.
Worth knowing: each sensor suits a different rhythm, and none of them is perfect on its own — which is why the choice is yours, and why combining a couple often gives the steadiest picture. Either way, OurGrapeVine is only one part of the picture — not the whole of it. The people in your circle provide the rest.
Your circle
Anyone you choose. Family near and far. Friends. Neighbours. A carer. A support worker. Anyone who’d want to be gently in the picture — and who you’d want there.
They don’t need to know each other. They just need to care about you. The circle shares the same daily signal, so nobody carries it alone.
Yes — and this is one of the things people love most about OurGrapeVine. If you and a friend both use OurGrapeVine, you can each add the other to your circles. You look out for them; they look out for you. Nobody asks, nobody intrudes. It just happens, quietly.
Groups of friends, neighbours, or former colleagues all living alone can create a genuine mutual support network — without anyone ever having to ask “are you okay?”
No. Nobody in your circle can see specific appliances, movements, or activities. They only ever receive a notification when your chosen tell doesn’t appear when you’ve said it should — and even then, the notification says only that the day has been quiet, not what you’re doing or not doing.
On a typical day, they hear nothing at all. That silence is the reassurance. Your privacy is completely intact.
Getting started
No. Daily check-in needs nothing at all beyond the app, and automatic detection uses a smart plug, which simply sits between the wall socket and something you already use — a kettle, a lamp, the television.
Straight away. You choose the times that matter — the window you’d normally be up and about in the morning, and how quiet a day would have to be before it’s worth someone knowing. There’s no waiting period, and you can change any of it at any time.
Not at all. You choose a single, simple sign — a button you press, or a smart plug on something you already use — and give permission for that one signal to be shared with us. Most options run quietly in the background with nothing to wear, charge or remember; and if you’d rather have something more active, a daily button press works too. Either way, it’s one gentle signal, and nothing more.
Notifications
Notifications are sent when the day is quieter than the household has said it should be — no activity through the morning window you’ve chosen, an unusually quiet day, or several such days in a row. You set those thresholds yourself, so they reflect how this home actually lives rather than a generic standard.
You can configure preferences and suppress notifications on specific days — for example if you regularly go out, or are planning to be away.
You can pause notifications for a set period directly from the dashboard. This prevents alerts firing when your absence is planned and expected.
Longer trips are actually useful — they help OurGrapeVine learn what your home looks like when you’re genuinely away, which makes it better at recognising when something is different on a day you’re supposed to be home.
Privacy & data
Yes. Your data is only visible to you and the contacts you have explicitly added. It is never shared with third parties or used for advertising.
Whichever tell you choose, the service sees only the simple signal it needs — whether the home’s usual rhythm is carrying on — not which specific appliances are on, which room you’re in, or what you are doing.
Cost
Opening an account is free, and the manual check-in option stays free permanently — so you can settle in with no commitment and cancel any time. Once you have an account, an upgrade adds automatic detection using a smart plug. Upgrade pricing is shown in your account so you can choose what suits you.
Yes. Daily check-in is free permanently, so you can use OurGrapeVine without paying anything at all. Automatic detection, which needs a sensor, is £9 a month and starts with 30 days free once your device is connected. There’s no minimum term, and you can cancel at any time.
