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

For Ghanaian families in the UK, the US, Canada and Europe: a daily WhatsApp check-in in English, 112 and the 193 ambulance, the NHIS card, and a local circle.

By the Athnova Care team · Updated 2026-10-05

Why families abroad worry about parents in Ghana

Ghanaian families live in London, New York, Washington, Toronto, Amsterdam and Hamburg, while parents stay in Accra, Kumasi, Takoradi, Tamale or their home town. Calls are frequent, but they happen when the children are free — not when a parent needs help.

A daily check-in gives you a signal every morning that your parent is well, and a plan for the morning it does not come.

A daily check-in in English, on WhatsApp

Every morning, at the time you choose on their clock, your parent gets one WhatsApp message in English: 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 Ghana 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 Ghana

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	National emergency number
193	National Ambulance Service
191	Police
192	Fire

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

Agree a circle of two people close to the house — a sibling or cousin, a neighbour, someone from church or the mosque — and save their numbers in the app so they are asked to look in if your parent goes quiet.

Write directions the way a driver would follow them: area, street, house number or GhanaPost GPS digital address, and a landmark. Put it on the emergency card.

Doctors, hospitals and medicines

Check that your parent’s NHIS card is active and renewed. People aged 70 and over do not pay the yearly premium, but the membership still has to be kept current.

Write the nearest hospital with an emergency unit, and the doctor who knows your parent, on the card.

The time difference

Ghana is on GMT (UTC+0) all year: the same time as London in winter, one hour behind it in summer, and four or five hours ahead of New York.

What Athnova Care does and does not do in Ghana

Daily WhatsApp check-in in English or English, with the reply in your app.
An alert to you when they go quiet (the follow-up phone call does not reach Ghana 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 Twi?

Not yet: in Ghana the check-in is in English, with short buttons. If your parent would prefer Twi, Ga or Ewe, tell us at care@athnova.in — it helps us decide which language comes next.

What is the emergency number in Ghana?

112 is the national emergency number. The National Ambulance Service is on 193, the police on 191 and the fire service on 192.

Is there a phone call if they do not reply?

The follow-up call does not reach Ghana 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 Ghana call 112.