How to check on elderly parents in Ecuador when you live abroad

For Ecuadorian families in Spain, Italy and the US: a daily WhatsApp check-in in Spanish, ECU 911, the IESS or the public health centre, and a local circle.

By the Athnova Care team · Updated 2026-10-06

Why families abroad worry about parents in Ecuador

Ecuadorian families settled in Madrid, Murcia, Barcelona, Genoa, Milan, New York and New Jersey, while parents stayed in Quito, Guayaquil, Cuenca or the towns of Azuay and Cañar. Many of those parents now live alone in a house the family built with years of remittances.

A daily check-in in Spanish tells you each morning that your parent is up and well, and makes sure somebody acts on the day they do not answer.

A daily check-in in Spanish, on WhatsApp

Every morning, at the time you choose on their clock, your parent gets one WhatsApp message in Spanish: did they take their morning medicines? They tap a button — "yes", "not yet" or "please call me" — and you see the answer in the family app.

Nothing to install and no password: the message arrives on the WhatsApp they already use, from a contact called Athnova Care. They can also send a photo of a blood-pressure reading, a prescription or a report at any time.

If the morning message is not answered, a reminder follows about three hours later. Our follow-up phone call does not reach Ecuador yet, so if the reminder also goes unanswered you are alerted straight away, and then the neighbour or relative you chose is asked to check.

Emergency numbers in Ecuador

Save these in your own phone and in your parent's, and on the fridge. Messages from Athnova Care quote this number when your parent says they are unwell, and so does their emergency card.

Number	What it is for
911	ECU 911 — integrated emergency service for the whole country

We are not an emergency service. In an emergency, your parent or the person with them should call the local number first.

Build a local circle before you need it

Name two people near the house — a sibling, a compadre or comadre, a neighbour — and save their WhatsApp numbers in the app, so they are asked to look in if your parent goes quiet.

In rural parishes, write how to find the house: the community, the road, a landmark and a pinned location. Put it on the emergency card for whoever calls ECU 911.

Doctors, hospitals and medicines

If your parent is an IESS pensioner or affiliate, note their IESS dispensary or hospital; if not, the Ministry of Public Health centre nearest to them. Write it, and their doctor, on the emergency card.

Ask your parent to send a photo of each new prescription or lab result on WhatsApp, so the whole family sees the same information.

The time difference

Mainland Ecuador is on UTC−5 all year (the Galápagos one hour behind). That is the same time as New York in winter, and six hours behind Spain and Italy in winter (seven in summer) — so a morning check-in there reaches Madrid or Milan in the afternoon.

What Athnova Care does and does not do in Ecuador

Daily WhatsApp check-in in Spanish or English, with the reply in your app.
An alert to you when they go quiet (the follow-up phone call does not reach Ecuador yet).
Alerts to the whole family, then to the neighbour or relative you chose.
An emergency card with their address, medicines, allergies, doctor and contacts, ready to share with a hospital.
Medicine reminders, readings and reports kept in one place for the doctor.
Not offered there: lab tests and medicine refills, which we arrange in India only.

Questions families ask

Is the check-in in Spanish?

Yes, in Spanish with "usted". Replies typed in Spanish are understood.

What is the emergency number in Ecuador?

911 — the ECU 911 integrated service, for ambulance, police and fire across the country.

Is there a phone call if they do not reply?

The follow-up call does not reach Ecuador yet, so if the message and the reminder go unanswered we alert you and your local circle straight away.

Athnova Care tracks and coordinates care. It does not diagnose, prescribe or replace a doctor. In a medical emergency in Ecuador call 911.