I work in Raleigh but my mother lives alone in Durham — how often should I realistically be checking on her, and what can technology cover in between?

How families here handle this

The Raleigh-to-Durham commute is short by national standards, but traffic on I-40 or the Durham Freeway during rush hour can still turn a planned quick check-in into a 45-minute round trip after a full workday, which is exactly when caregiver fatigue sets in for people trying to hold down a job in one city while monitoring a parent in another. A layered approach tends to work best: reliable daily phone contact to catch obvious problems, a weekly in-person visit to catch things a phone call can't (spoiled food, unopened mail, changes in hygiene or mobility), and a wearable medical alert device with fall detection to cover the unpredictable moments in between. If the gaps start feeling unsafe, a part-time home care aide is often more sustainable long-term than trying to personally cover every gap after a full workday.

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