Whether your loved one has already joined your Circle or is still thinking about it, there is plenty to do in your first week. Many of the most useful things, you do before they are even on board.

Open SeniorThrive and look around. You land on Today. Until your loved one joins, it opens with Where do I start?, a few questions that end in one step for this week and the words to start the conversation. Start there. It takes about 3 minutes and it is private to you. The rest of Today stays quiet until your loved one joins and starts sharing. That is normal. The places in your sidebar are Today, Plan, Health, Home, Family Hub, Connect and Helping [your loved one's name]. A separate article, A tour of your dashboard: for a family member, walks through each one.

You can already use We spoke today on Today, before they join. Each time you talk, tap it, say how they seemed, and Save. Those notes are waiting for the family, and for your loved one, when they join.

Think through who should eventually be in your loved one's Circle. A sibling. A neighbor. A family doctor. A professional caregiver. You do not invite them yet, but knowing who fits helps when you have the conversation with your loved one.

This is the most important step, and it has nothing to do with the app. Find a quiet moment to bring up SeniorThrive with your loved one. Lead with why, not what. "I want us to be more in touch" is a better opener than "I found an app for you."

The Conversation Guide, under Conversation tools in Family Hub, has short, script-ready openers for common situations.

If the conversation went well, send the invitation. On Today, Set up [their name]'s invite walks you through it, and you can have it emailed or copy a private link to send in your own words. Once it is out, Today shows when you sent it, with Resend the invite for an emailed invite and Text [their name] the link if you would rather send it by text.

If the conversation did not go well, do not push. The app is free for you until they join, and your 14 free days do not start until they do, so there is no meter running. Come back to the conversation in a week or two.

If your loved one has joined, you may still see very little, and that is by design. Nothing is shared with you until they switch it on from their own Privacy & Sharing settings, apart from emergency information, incidents and supply requests. There is nothing for you to turn on at your end.

If they have switched on Daily Check-In, you see that they checked in today, not what they answered. That is enough to send a short message. "Saw you checked in this morning. Thinking of you." Small, consistent signals of attention build the habit for both of you.

Family Hub is the thinking and talking side of supporting a parent, not the day-to-day tracking. It holds Where Do I Start? (the same questions that open Today before your loved one joins), the Conversation tools, and a quiet moment for yourself.

If you have siblings who should also be in the loop, invite them from your dashboard. Essential covers you and your loved one, and everyone after that joins as an added seat: $10 a month each for the first three, then $5 a month for anyone after that.

The single biggest relief most families report is no longer being the only person who knows.

You do not have to be the hero. You just have to be there.