The real question isn’t “which facility.” It’s how much help your parent needs, how often, and what kind. Two parents who both need help with daily activities can need completely different levels of support.
One parent might need a check-in twice a week. Another might need supervision around the clock. This guide helps you place your parent on that spectrum before you compare a single facility.
Once you know what kind of help your parent needs, the options become easier to compare. Start with this quick self-assessment, then use the four care profiles to understand what each option can realistically provide.
A quick self-assessment
Answer three questions about your parent. Your answers point toward one of four care profiles.
1. How often does your parent need help?
Occasionally, most days, or around the clock. This tells you the intensity of care required.
- Occasional: a few hours of help a week is enough.
- Daily: someone needs to be present every day.
- Around the clock: care must be continuous, including nights.
2. What kind of help do they need?
Physical, supervisory, or medical. This tells you the type of caregiver or facility to look for.
- Physical: bathing, dressing, mobility.
- Supervisory: safety, memory, judgment.
- Medical: medication management, nursing, post-op recovery.
3. What support already exists?
Nothing yet, occasional family drop-ins, or a part-time caregiver already in place. This tells you the actual gap you need to fill.
Most parents don’t fit neatly into one box, and needs shift over time. Research using the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India found that a large share of older adults report some difficulty with daily or instrumental activities, so this transition is common rather than unusual[1]. Treat this self-assessment as a starting point, not a diagnosis.
If your parent currently lives alone, Zenioro’s guide on signs it may be time to consider more support is a useful next read before you go further.
The four care profiles
Each profile below follows the same structure: the care requirement, the resource that fits, real examples, and the signs you’ve outgrown it.
Profile 1: Occasional help with one or two tasks
Care requirement: Your parent is largely independent. They struggle with one or two specific tasks, such as grocery runs, bill payments, occasional company, medication reminders or transportation.
Options to consider: Family support, home modifications, or a part-time caregiver. A residential facility may not be necessary at this stage.
In practice, “part-time help” usually means an hourly caregiver agency or a drop-in day care service. A caregiver visits for a few hours, a few days a week, to cover the specific gap. Simple home modifications, like grab bars and better lighting, reduce risk for the rest of the time.
Signs you’ve outgrown this profile: The occasional need becomes a daily one. Or more than one task now needs regular attention.
Profile 2: Daily personal care
Care requirement: Your parent needs regular help with activities of daily living. This includes bathing, dressing, toileting, and mobility transfers, without a complex medical need attached.
Options to consider: A full-time home caregiver, or assisted living for elderly parents that includes personal care support.
Once your parent needs help every day, the choice usually comes down to whether that support can be delivered safely at home or whether a residential setting makes more sense.
At this stage, families usually have two broad choices: bring more support into the home, or move to a residential setting where personal care is built into the daily routine. If you’re considering assisted living, these examples show what pricing and care arrangements can look like across major Indian cities.
- Athulya operates in Whitefield, Bengaluru, Maduravoyal, Chennai, and Thudiyalur, Coimbatore at this care level, making it the largest multi-city presence in this profile. Support includes personal care alongside standard room and meal services.
- Kshetra Assisted Living operates in Khajaguda, Hyderabad. Rooms come in non-AC, AC, and twin-sharing configurations, so it’s worth checking exactly what the base option includes.
- Artha Senior Care operates in Sector 53, Gurugram. Care here is tiered by need rather than room type, moving from basic to medium to high support.
- Signature AgedCare operates in Vazhakkala, Kochi. Admission involves a three to four week wait, and the facility asks for a video of the senior before approving a move-in.
- BHN operates in Wanowrie, Pune across three separate room tiers. It’s a straightforward personal care setup without the added medical layer seen in Profile 3.
Signs you’ve outgrown this profile: Medication management is becoming unreliable, falls are becoming more frequent, or a medical condition now requires regular monitoring.
Profile 3: Daily care plus medical supervision
Care requirement: Personal care needs plus medication management, chronic condition monitoring, or recovery from a fall or surgery.
Options to consider: Assisted living with stronger nursing support for ongoing needs, or a rehabilitation/transition-care setting when the need is recovery after illness, surgery or a hospital stay.
- Sukino operates in Whitefield, Bengaluru, Vytilla, Kochi, and Sowri Palayam, Coimbatore at this care level. The Bengaluru facility is structured as assisted living, while Kochi and Coimbatore are positioned as inpatient rehabilitation for post-hospitalization recovery.
- Geri Care Assisted Living operates in Mogappair, Chennai. It runs as 24/7 assisted living with skilled nursing, under the supervision of experienced geriatricians.
- HCAH SuVitas operates a rehabilitation center in Gachibowli, Hyderabad. HCAH has run rehab-led senior care in India since 2015, with a focus on structured recovery rather than long-term residency.
- Epoch Elder Care operates in Sector 51, Gurugram. It combines medical supervision with a deposit structure specifically earmarked for medical emergencies.
- Aaji Care operates a geriatric care centre in Kalyani Nagar, Pune. It includes a doctor assessment as part of the admission process.
Signs you’ve outgrown this profile: Cognitive decline becomes the dominant concern. Physical or medical needs take a back seat to memory and judgment issues.
Profile 4: Memory-related supervision
Care requirement: Cognitive decline is the primary driver of care, regardless of how physically independent your parent otherwise is.
Options to consider: A dedicated memory-care or dementia programme may be more appropriate when cognitive decline is the primary care concern, particularly when the person needs structured supervision or a secure environment.
Among the facilities we researched, these three have a documented, separate memory care programme rather than just a general assisted living floor.
- Athulya operates dedicated memory care in Perungudi, Chennai, Kakkanad, Kochi, and Thudiyalur, Coimbatore. The Chennai facility runs a Mind & Memory programme with licensed nurses on-site, and the Kochi facility runs its own separate Mind & Memory unit rather than treating it as an add-on to general assisted living.
- KITES operates dedicated dementia units in Geddalahalli, Bengaluru and Banjara Hills, Hyderabad. The Bengaluru centre is North Bengaluru’s largest dedicated dementia care facility with its own on-site memory clinic, while the Hyderabad centre runs a dedicated unit for residents with Alzheimer’s and other forms of dementia.
- Satyak Assisted Living operates in Aundh, Pune. It runs a doctor-led dementia programme with psychiatrists specialising in geriatric and neuro-cognitive care, plus daily structured cognitive activities.
- Gracias Living operates in Sector 43, Gurugram. It runs dedicated dementia and memory care alongside general assisted living, with daily routines built around therapeutic activities and sensory stimulation.
Dedicated memory-care programmes are not always clearly described online. Don’t assume that a facility offering “dementia care” has a dedicated memory-care environment. Ask how staff are trained, how wandering is managed, and whether residents with cognitive impairment live in a separate or secured setting.
Coordinating care for a parent from outside India
If you’re arranging this from abroad, the process has an added layer of difficulty. You can’t walk through a facility yourself, so a video tour with the facility manager becomes your main source of information before you decide anything.
Ask for a live video call rather than a pre-recorded promotional video. A live walkthrough lets you see the room your parent will actually occupy and get a sense of the caregiver staff on duty that day.
Appoint someone in India as your point of contact, whether that’s a sibling, a relative, or a trusted family friend. Most facilities expect a local contact who can visit in person, sign documents, and respond quickly if something comes up.
Time zones affect how quickly you can respond to a facility’s calls or a medical situation. Ask upfront how the facility handles communication with family abroad, including who calls you and at what stage of an emergency.
Payments, deposits, and refunds are harder to track from a different country and currency. Confirm whether the facility accepts international transfers directly, and get every fee, deposit condition, and refund policy in writing before you commit.
If a power of attorney or similar authorization is needed for admission, medical decisions, or payments, set this up before your parent’s move-in date. Sorting this out after the fact, from a different country, takes considerably longer.
Comparing every care option for elderly parents side by side
Use this table once you know your parent’s profile. It shows what each resource covers, what it typically costs, and which profile it fits best.
| Resource type | What it covers | Typical cost band | Best-fit profile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Family support & home modifications | Occasional supervision, safety fixes like grab bars and ramps | Mostly a one-time cost; ongoing cost usually under ₹10,000/month | Profile 1 |
| Part-time / hourly caregiver | Help with one or two tasks, shift-based attendant support | ₹6,000–₹35,000/month depending on hours | Profile 1 moving into Profile 2 |
| Full-time home caregiver | One-on-one ADL support delivered at home | ₹20,000–₹85,000/month depending on city and hours | Profile 2 |
| Assisted living (personal care) | Room, meals, housekeeping, and help with bathing, dressing, mobility | ₹35,000–₹1,05,000/month | Profile 2 |
| Assisted living with nursing/rehab support | Medication management, chronic condition monitoring, resident doctor or nurse | ₹85,000–₹2,10,000/month | Profile 3 |
| Memory care / dementia-focused units | Structured cognitive supervision, secured environment, dementia-trained staff | Not consistently published; confirm directly with each facility | Profile 4 |
A checklist for evaluating any facility
Once you shortlist a facility, ask these questions before you decide.
- Is a nurse or doctor available on-site, and for how many hours a day?
- What exactly is included in the base monthly fee, and what gets billed separately?
- Can the care level increase within the same facility, or does a higher need mean relocating?
- What is the caregiver-to-resident ratio during the day and at night?
- What is the refundable security deposit, and under what conditions is it withheld?
- Is there a minimum stay period, and what is the notice period for exit?
- Does the facility have a documented protocol for medical emergencies?
- If memory care is a concern, is staff trained specifically in dementia care?
Explore care options by city and need
Every parent’s situation is different, and the right resource depends on where they fall today. Explore verified assisted living communities and memory care options by city on Zenioro, or use the assisted living cost calculator to estimate your parent’s likely monthly cost.
Sources:
[1] Nagarkar, A., & Kulkarni, S. (2022). Association between daily activities and fall in older adults: An analysis of longitudinal ageing study in India (2017–18). BMC Geriatrics, 22(1), 214. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8922744
