How to check on elderly parents in Indonesia when you work abroad

For Indonesians working in Malaysia, the Gulf, Hong Kong or Taiwan: a daily WhatsApp check-in in Bahasa Indonesia, 112 and 119, BPJS, and a local circle.

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

Why families abroad worry about parents in Indonesia

Millions of Indonesians work abroad — in Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Singapore, Korea and Japan — and many more study or settle in the Netherlands, Australia and the US. Their parents stay in Java, Sumatra, Nusa Tenggara or Sulawesi, often in a village where the nearest sibling lives hours away.

A short WhatsApp message in Bahasa Indonesia each morning tells you your parent is well, and makes sure someone nearby acts on the day they do not reply.

A daily check-in in Indonesian, on WhatsApp

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

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 call centre
119	Ambulance (health emergencies)
110	Police

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

Choose two people close to the house — a sibling, a cousin, a neighbour, or the head of the RT — and save their WhatsApp numbers in the app, so they are asked to look in when your parent goes quiet.

Write the full address on the emergency card: street or gang, house number, RT/RW, kelurahan or desa, kecamatan and a landmark such as the mosque or the market.

Doctors, hospitals and medicines

Check that your parent’s BPJS Kesehatan (JKN) membership is active and the contributions are paid, and note their puskesmas and the hospital it refers them to. Write them on the emergency card.

Ask your parent to send a photo of each prescription or lab result on WhatsApp, so the family and the doctor see the same information.

The time difference

Indonesia has three time zones: WIB (UTC+7) for Java and Sumatra, WITA (UTC+8) for Bali and Sulawesi, and WIT (UTC+9) for Maluku and Papua. When you add your parent, choose their zone so the check-in arrives at the right hour on their clock. From Malaysia, Singapore, Hong Kong or Taiwan the difference is only an hour or two.

What Athnova Care does and does not do in Indonesia

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

Yes. The daily message, its buttons and the reminders are in Indonesian, with the polite "Anda" and your parent’s name. Replies typed in Indonesian are understood.

What is the emergency number in Indonesia?

112, the national emergency call centre. For an ambulance you can also call 119.

Is there a phone call if they do not reply?

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