How to check on elderly parents in the Philippines from abroad

For OFWs and Filipino families abroad: a daily WhatsApp check-in in Filipino or English, 911, the barangay and family circle, and senior-citizen discounts.

By the Athnova Care team · Updated 2026-10-02

Why families abroad worry about parents in the Philippines

About ten million Filipinos live and work abroad — nurses in the UK and the US, caregivers in Hong Kong and Taiwan, engineers and cleaners in the Gulf — while their parents stay in the provinces. Remittances arrive every month; news of a parent’s health often does not.

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 Filipino, on WhatsApp

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

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	All emergencies — ambulance, police, 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 or three people near the house: a sibling or cousin, a neighbour, and someone at the barangay hall who knows your parent. Save their numbers in the app so they are asked to look in if your parent goes quiet.

Write down the way to the house the way a tricycle driver would understand it — purok, landmark, the colour of the gate — and put it on the emergency card.

Doctors, hospitals and medicines

Check that your parent’s PhilHealth membership is active and that their senior citizen ID is with them: it gives a 20% discount on medicines and many medical services.

Keep the name of the nearest hospital with an emergency room, and of the doctor who knows your parent, on the emergency card.

The time difference

The Philippines is on UTC+8 all year. It is four hours ahead of the UAE, seven or eight hours ahead of the UK, and 12 to 16 hours ahead of the US — so a morning check-in there arrives in your evening or night.

What Athnova Care does and does not do in the Philippines

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

Can the messages be in English instead of Filipino?

Yes. Choose English or Filipino for each parent; you can change it at any time.

What is the emergency number in the Philippines?

911, for ambulance, police and fire.

Does it work if my parent mostly uses Messenger?

The check-in needs WhatsApp on their phone. Many families install it for this, and the message then arrives like any other chat.

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