Athnova CareWays to check on elderly parents in India from abroad: 7 options compared
WhatsApp check-ins, reminder apps, care managers, cameras and wearables: what each does well and where it falls short, as of September 2026.
By the Athnova Care team · Updated
Want to see the daily check-in before you read on? Send DEMO to our WhatsApp and the exact message a parent gets arrives on your phone — in any of 21 languages, no account needed.
How to read this list
We make one of the products on this page, so treat our view of it accordingly. We have described the others from their own websites as they stood in September and October 2026, and we have tried to say plainly what each is good at. Families often use two or three of these together.
The options
| Option | Examples | Strength | Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| WhatsApp check-in with call-back | Athnova Care | Works on the phone the parent already uses; silence is followed up by a call and alerts | No staff at the door |
| WhatsApp health assistants | ANSR HealthAI, FamAI | Reminders, logging and family dashboards on WhatsApp; free tiers | Check each site for what happens when a parent does not reply |
| Daily "I’m OK" apps | I’m Alive (free, with an India page), Snug, AssureOkay, Demumu (the "Are You Dead?" app), Haal Chaal (free, iPhone, made in India) | Very simple; low cost ($5–10 a month or free) | Parent must open an app every day, or pay extra for calls; mostly English |
| Automated daily calls | Sentio Care (an AI voice call in Hindi or English, ₹699 a month per parent in India, with a launch price of ₹299), Senior Call ($9.99 a month), IAmFine ($14.99 a month), and Athnova Care for parents without WhatsApp | Works on any phone, even a landline; Sentio sends the family a WhatsApp summary after each call | US services call in English and stop at the US border; Sentio’s site lists Hindi and English and Indian prices |
| Medicine reminder apps | Medisafe, MyTherapy | Per-dose reminders; caregiver alerts | Parent must install and use an app, mostly in English |
| Care-manager and wellness-call services | Emoha, Samarth, Anvayaa, Sahaayak, Care247, Zospital NRI Parent Care; Yodda for emergency response | People who call, visit, accompany and respond | Higher monthly cost; coverage varies by city |
| Cameras and sensors | Home Wi-Fi cameras, motion sensors | You can see for yourself | Privacy; parents often dislike them; someone must be watching |
| Wearables, SOS devices and sensing apps | Smartwatches with fall detection, SOS pendants; phone-sensor apps such as Carissa (₹799 a month) | Help at the press of a button, or an automatic fall alert | Must be worn, charged or carried; an app needs a smartphone that stays with them |
Prices and features of other services are as published on their own websites in September and October 2026 and may have changed. Check each provider’s site before you decide.
What matters most
- Will my parent actually use it after the first month?
- What happens when they do not?
- Is it in their language?
- Does it tell the whole family, or only me?
- Who is nearby to act on an alert?
A sensible combination
For a parent who is independent: a daily check-in with a call-back, two local contacts, and an emergency card. For a parent who needs help at home: add a care manager or an attendant. For a parent at high risk of falls: consider an SOS device as well, if they will wear it.
Where Athnova Care fits
Athnova Care is the daily layer. One WhatsApp message in your parent’s language, a reminder and a phone call if they do not answer, alerts to up to four family members and then to local contacts. It reads the reports and readings your parent photographs, arranges refills through their own chemist with your approval, and prepares a monthly summary for the doctor. The daily WhatsApp check-in, the reminder and the family alerts are free for one parent; the full plan is $12 a month for the whole family, after a 14-day free trial that needs no card. The check-in works in 21 languages, for parents in India or anywhere else.
Questions families ask
What is the best app to monitor elderly parents in India?
The best one is the one your parent will still be using in three months. For many parents that means something that works inside WhatsApp, in their language, without a new app.
Are there free options?
Yes. Several reminder apps, WhatsApp assistants and I’m OK apps have free tiers, and Athnova Care is free for one parent. Check what each does when a parent stops responding: a free app that tells nobody is not a safety net.
Is there an app that checks on my parents without them installing anything?
Yes. A WhatsApp check-in such as Athnova Care arrives on the WhatsApp they already use, in their language, and a parent without WhatsApp can get a daily phone call instead.
Is there a service that phones my parents every day in Hindi?
Yes, two different kinds. Sentio Care places a daily AI voice call in Hindi or English that asks about health and medicines and sends the family a WhatsApp summary (₹699 a month per parent on its site in October 2026). Athnova Care’s daily call is shorter and simpler — a recorded check-in in the parent’s language answered on the keypad — and it is the fallback when the parent has no WhatsApp or has gone quiet; the family is alerted either way. The two are compared side by side in our Sentio Care vs Athnova Care guide.
Related guides
- How to check on an elderly parent remotely: 10 ways compared (2026)
- Health apps vs daily check-ins for elderly parents
- SOS devices and smartwatches vs daily check-ins for parents in India
- Emoha vs Samarth vs Athnova Care: which suits your parents?
Athnova Care tracks and coordinates care. It does not diagnose, prescribe or replace a doctor. In a medical emergency in India call 112.