Guide

How a daily check-in app for elderly parents works

By PariNest · Published 9 November 2026 · 4 min read

A daily check-in app gives your parent one small thing to do each day — tap a button to say they're fine — and lets the family know if that doesn't happen. It answers one question, every day: was today a normal day?

Here is exactly how it works with Pari Pulse (for the family) and Pari Touch (for your parent), from setup to the day a check-in is missed.

1. Setting it up

You set everything up on pulse.parinest.com, a website — there is nothing for you to install. For each parent you enter:

• their name and the phone number they'll use,
• how long to wait before the family is alerted: 1, 2 or 3 days without a check-in,
• the language of their app: English or Hindi,
• who gets alerted: you, plus the family members you add (up to 6 per parent, within your plan).

You then get a link to send your parent. They install Pari Touch, a free Android app from Google Play, and the link sets it up — there is nothing for them to fill in.

Every family member you add gets an invitation first and receives alerts only after they agree. Anyone can stop alerts to their own number at any time.

2. Every day

Your parent sees one big button: "I'm doing fine". One tap and they're done. If you like, their phone also shows a daily reminder at a time you choose, in their time zone.

On Pari Pulse you see when they last checked in, and a simple status:

• Doing well — they checked in recently,
• Getting close — more than half the waiting time has passed without a check-in,
• Overdue — the waiting time has passed; this is when alerts go out.

3. If a check-in is missed

Alerts come in two steps — gentle first, urgent later. With a 1-day setting:

With a 2-day setting these become 48 and 96 hours; with 3 days, 72 and 144 hours. Each alert is sent once, and as soon as your parent checks in again, everything resets.

Each family member can choose the earliest time of day that gentle alerts reach them, in their own time zone — useful when a brother is in Toronto and a sister in Dubai. Urgent alerts ignore that choice and go out straight away.

Family members abroad get alerts on WhatsApp; numbers in India get SMS as well. Your parent doesn't need WhatsApp.

4. What your parent needs

• An Android phone with Android 7 or newer. Pari Touch isn't available for iPhone yet.
• Mobile data or Wi-Fi, so their check-in reaches you.
• Nothing else — no account to manage, no WhatsApp, nothing to type.

5. What it does not do

A daily check-in is a signal, not an emergency service. To be clear about its limits, Pari Pulse:

• does not detect falls or monitor health,
• does not track your parent's location,
• does not contact emergency services — in an emergency, call the local emergency number.

What it does well is turn "I haven't heard from them" into a clear answer, and make sure the right people know when a day has gone quiet.

6. Plans and price

One plan per family, chosen by how many parents you look after:

Yearly plans save about two months. Every plan starts with a 30-day free trial: you set up a payment method when you start, nothing is charged until the trial ends, and you can cancel any time from your account. Prices as of November 2026 — the current prices are always on pulse.parinest.com.

Living abroad? Read our guide: How to check on elderly parents in India when you live abroad.