How to check on elderly parents in Sri Lanka when you live abroad

For Sri Lankan families in Canada, the UK and Australia: a daily WhatsApp check-in in Tamil or English, the free 1990 ambulance and a local circle.

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

Why families abroad worry about parents in Sri Lanka

Many Sri Lankan families have children in Toronto, London, Melbourne, Doha or Milan and parents in Jaffna, Colombo, Kandy, Batticaloa or Trincomalee. Video calls happen at weekends; a fall or a missed tablet on a weekday can go unnoticed.

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

A daily check-in in Tamil, on WhatsApp

Every morning, at the time you choose on their clock, your parent gets one WhatsApp message in Tamil: 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 Sri Lanka 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 Sri Lanka

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
1990	Suwa Seriya — free ambulance across the island
119	Police
110	Fire and rescue

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 relative, a neighbour, someone from the temple, church or mosque — save their numbers in the app, and ask them first. They are the ones we message when your parent goes quiet.

Put the full address on the emergency card with the nearest junction or landmark, so the Suwa Seriya ambulance or a neighbour can find the house quickly.

Doctors, hospitals and medicines

Government hospitals are free, from divisional hospitals up to base, district general and teaching hospitals. Many families also use a private hospital or a channelling centre for appointments with a specialist. Write both on the card.

Keep the clinic book and recent prescriptions together, and ask your parent to send a photo of each new one on WhatsApp.

The time difference

Sri Lanka is on UTC+5:30 all year, the same as India. It is four and a half hours ahead of the UK in summer and five and a half in winter, nine and a half to ten and a half hours ahead of Toronto, and four and a half to five and a half hours behind Sydney.

What Athnova Care does and does not do in Sri Lanka

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

Tamil or English today. Sinhala is not available yet, so a Sinhala-speaking parent who reads English can use English; the buttons are short and simple.

What is the ambulance number in Sri Lanka?

1990, the free Suwa Seriya ambulance service. The police are on 119 and the fire service on 110.

Is there a phone call if they do not reply?

The follow-up call does not reach Sri Lanka 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 Sri Lanka call 1990.