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

For families abroad with a parent in Germany: a daily WhatsApp check-in in German, 112 and 116 117, a local circle, and how it differs from a Hausnotruf.

By the Athnova Care team · Updated 2026-10-13

Why families abroad worry about parents in Germany

Germany has one of the oldest populations in the world, and many older people live alone — while their grown children work in another city or another country. A weekly phone call says little about the other six days.

A short daily check-in tells you your parent is up and well, and makes sure someone acts on the day they do not answer.

A daily check-in in German, on WhatsApp

Every morning, at the time you choose on their clock, your parent gets one WhatsApp message in German: 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, then a phone call in their language. If the calls go unanswered too, you are alerted, and then the neighbour or relative you chose is asked to check. The call reaches Germany today.

Emergency numbers in Germany

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
112	Ambulance and fire service — free from any phone
110	Police
116 117	On-call doctor (ärztlicher Bereitschaftsdienst) for problems that are not emergencies, at night and at weekends

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 who can be at the door within an hour — a neighbour, a friend from the club or the church, a relative nearby. Ask them first, save their numbers in the app, and agree that a message from us means "please go and look".

Leave a spare key with one of them, or in a key safe by the door, and put the name on the bell and the floor of the flat on the emergency card: in a block of flats, an ambulance crew loses minutes without it.

Doctors, hospitals and medicines

The Hausarzt (family doctor) is the first point of contact and knows your parent’s medicines; write the practice and its number on the emergency card. At night and at weekends, 116 117 reaches the on-call doctor service for problems that are not emergencies.

If your parent needs help at home, ask their Pflegekasse about a care grade (Pflegegrad): with one, the long-term care insurance helps pay for care, aids and a home emergency button (Hausnotruf).

The time difference

Germany is on Central European Time (UTC+1), and on summer time (UTC+2) from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October. It is one hour ahead of the UK, six hours ahead of New York, and three and a half to four and a half hours behind India.

What Athnova Care does and does not do in Germany

Daily WhatsApp check-in in German or English, with the reply in your app.
A phone call in German when they go quiet.
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 German?

Yes. The daily message, its buttons and the reminder are in German, written with "Sie", as one speaks to an elder. Replies typed in German are understood.

What is the emergency number in Germany?

112 for an ambulance or the fire service, 110 for the police, and 116 117 for the on-call doctor when it is not an emergency.

Is this a Hausnotruf?

No. A Hausnotruf is a button your parent presses. The daily check-in asks every day and notices when no answer comes — even when nobody can press anything. Many families use both.

Is there a phone call if they do not reply?

Yes. If the WhatsApp message goes unanswered, the reminder is followed by a phone call in German.

Athnova Care tracks and coordinates care. It does not diagnose, prescribe or replace a doctor. In a medical emergency in Germany call 112.