A welfare check is a request for someone to come to Dad's door and look. The family does not decide what responders do once they arrive. What the family controls is the call itself, and a clear call gets a faster and more useful response. Before you dial, know which number you are calling, what you will say, and what you will ask. This is a practical account, not legal advice. If the question is who can act for Dad or what authority you hold, that belongs with the attorney who wrote his papers.
Local option: New Plan Care gives families in the St. Louis area in-home help so a parent can stay home: companionship, help with bathing and dressing, meals, and overnight care. Call (314) 405-0887.
Pick the right line first
If you believe someone is hurt, in danger, or unable to respond right now, call the emergency number. If the concern is that Dad has not answered for a while and you see no sign of an emergency, use the non-emergency line for his city or county. The Local Help in St. Louis page can help you confirm which office covers his address before you need it, since the right line can depend on whether the house sits in a city or a county.
Have the facts on one card
Write the address, the cross streets, the phone number at the house, and the name and phone of at least one other person who can reach the house. Note when you last spoke to him and what you heard. Note any fall you know about, any door that was locked when it should not have been, and any lockbox or key holder who can open the house. Add his doctor's office number so the dispatcher can ask for an update if it helps. Keep this card by the phone you will use.
Know what the call will and will not do
Ask the dispatcher what they will do with the call, whether a unit is coming, and how you will learn the outcome. Do not promise that they will enter the house, and do not describe a key or permission you do not have. Ask who will call you back and which number they will use. Write the answers down with the time you called.
Set the next move
Before you hang up, decide who will drive to the house if responders cannot get in, and who will call the next person on the card. A welfare check ends at the door. The family's job is to stay reachable and ready for the next call.