Arranging Home Care for Your Parents from Abroad: A 10-Step Checklist

You have decided your parents need help at home. Now comes the hard part: arranging it from another country, and knowing it is going well when you can’t see it for yourself. Use this checklist to set it up properly the first time.

Before you choose a provider

1. Write down exactly what help is needed

Be specific. “Someone to help Ma” leads to mismatched expectations. List the tasks: bathing, dressing, meals, walking support, medicines, injections, wound dressing, night supervision, company and outings. This tells you whether you need an attendant or a qualified nurse. Our guide on home nurse vs home attendant explains the difference.

2. Decide the hours

Common arrangements are a 12-hour day shift, 24-hour live-in care, or a few hours a day. Live-in care needs a place for the caregiver to sleep, meals and agreed days off.

3. Set a realistic monthly budget

Home care is usually priced per day or per session. As a reference, verified home care providers in Delhi NCR currently list personal care from about ₹500 to ₹1,500 a day and nursing care from about ₹500 to ₹3,000 a day on WiseDecisions. Multiply by the days you need to get a monthly figure, and keep some room for extras like physiotherapy.

Choosing the provider

4. Shortlist two or three verified providers

Choose providers whose documents have been checked. On WiseDecisions, every listed provider is verified, and you can compare their services and prices side by side. WiseMatch can do the shortlisting for you: answer four questions and it scores every verified provider in your parents’ city on the care offered, your specific needs and your budget.

5. Ask these questions on the call

  • Are caregivers ID- and police-verified? Can I see the verification?
  • What training and experience does the caregiver have for my parent’s needs (for example dementia or post-surgery care)?
  • If the caregiver is sick, on leave or leaves the job, how quickly do you send a replacement?
  • Who supervises the caregiver, and how often do they visit or call?
  • What exactly is included in the price, and what costs extra?
  • What is the notice period, and is there a trial period?

6. Get the agreement in writing

Even a simple written note or email covering tasks, hours, price, days off, replacement policy and notice period prevents most disputes.

The first weeks of care

7. Arrange a handover

Ask a relative or neighbour to be present on day one. Walk the caregiver through the house, medicines, the doctor’s number, your parents’ routine and preferences. Small things matter: how they like their tea, when they nap, which topics upset them.

8. Set up simple daily updates

Agree on a short daily message: meals, medicines, mood, any falls or concerns. A photo of the medicine box at the end of the day is a simple, respectful check.

9. Talk to your parents privately

After the first few days, ask your parents directly how it’s going, at a time when the caregiver isn’t in the room. Their comfort matters as much as the task list.

10. Review after a month

Is the care working? Has anything changed? Needs often grow gradually, and the arrangement should change with them. Update your answers in WiseMatch and see if a different provider or type of care would now fit better.

A quick word on safety

Keep valuables and cash secure, keep a record of who has keys, and make sure your parents always have a way to reach you or a relative directly. These are simple precautions, not a sign of distrust, and good providers will understand.

Ready to start? Find verified elder care by city, or let WiseMatch rank providers for your parents in about two minutes. It’s free for families.