You phone on Sundays. This is for the other six days.
A phone call will not tell you whether your mother moved today or sat in the same chair since breakfast. Gentle Wellness emails her six small activities a week — three ways to move on Monday, two for her mind on Wednesday, one person to reach on Friday — on the same days, every week. Free, and there is nothing for her to install.
You will need their email address. They confirm it themselves.
It is a newsletter, not a monitoring device
The reason help gets refused is that it usually arrives as a loss of independence. This does not. Nothing is tracked, nothing is reported back to you, and she can stop it herself in one click.
“He will say he does not need it.”
It reads as something interesting that arrived, not a check-up. Most people try one exercise because it takes ten minutes.
“She is not good with technology.”
One email to confirm, then it simply arrives. No app, no password, no settings, in type large enough to read.
“Their data is expensive.”
Small text emails with no video to download. They open on a basic phone on a slow connection.
Why the quiet weeks matter
Among ageing South Africans, the share living alone rose from 9.3% in 2015 to 12.0% in 2022 — and in the same cohort, living alone was associated with loneliness, depressive symptoms and impaired cognition.
Pengpid & Peltzer, Ageing International, 2025. Roughly one in five older South Africans reported loneliness in the HAALSI cohort survey of 2021–22.
- Balance and strength work every Monday, because both protect against falls.
- Activities add up to the recommended 150 minutes a week, in pieces short enough to finish.
- A social prompt every Friday, deliberately — isolation affects physical health as much as inactivity.
- Every exercise written with arthritis, limited mobility and low vision in mind, and each cites its source.
What they get. What you get.
Six small things a week, on days they can count on. Ten minutes at a time, a seated option for everything, and no sense that anyone is checking up on them.
Something to talk about on Sunday that is not their health. Ask which of the three they tried — a better opening than “are you managing?”
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1
Enter their email address
Nothing else is asked of you, and no card.
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2
They click once to confirm
Worth a phone call to explain, and often done together over tea.
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3
Monday morning it begins
Ask them about it on Sunday. That is the whole idea.
Sign someone up
It takes a minute, and they stay in control of it.
Common questions
Is Gentle Wellness really free?
Yes. It is completely free, there is nothing to pay now or later, and we never ask for card details.
How many emails will I get?
Three a week: Monday, Wednesday and Friday. That is six activities in total — three on Monday, two on Wednesday and one on Friday. We will not send you anything else.
What if I have trouble standing?
Every exercise includes a seated version, so you can take part safely whatever your mobility. Nothing asks you to get down onto the floor.
Do I need any equipment?
No. Every activity uses what you already have at home — usually just a sturdy chair.
Will this use a lot of my data?
Very little. The emails are small and mostly text, with no large videos, so they open quickly even on a slow connection.
Is my information safe?
We store your email address, and a record of which emails you opened and which activities you clicked, so we know what is worth sending. We never sell or share it, and you can ask us to delete all of it at any time. We follow POPIA, South Africa's data protection law. See our Privacy Policy.
Can I stop the emails?
Any time. Every email has an unsubscribe link at the bottom. One click and the emails stop, with no questions asked.
Should I check with my doctor first?
If you have a heart condition, recent surgery or any concern about exercising, please speak to your clinic or doctor first. Our activities are gentle, but they are general guidance and not medical advice.
Set it up before Monday
One minute now, and something small and achievable lands on their side every week.