Caring for your parents from a distance: tools for families far away
Public services, practical tools, medication checks and work leave to help you care for your parents even if you live in another city.
In short
- You can care from a distance if you combine a local support network with tools that do not rely on your parents' memory.
- Telecare has been an individual entitlement for people with recognised dependency in Spain since Royal Decree 675/2023.
- For medication, the most effective option is a pharmacy-prepared dosage system plus a weekly check by someone nearby.
- The Spanish Workers' Statute provides five days of leave when a parent is in hospital or seriously ill.
Caring for your parents from a distance is possible if you combine three things: public services such as telecare, simple tools that do not depend on their memory and someone you trust nearby who can check what you cannot see.
We explain which resources exist in Spain, how to keep track of medication from another city and which work leave you can use when you need to travel.
Can you care well for a parent from another city?
Yes, as long as there is a support network nearby and tools that let you know how your relative is doing without relying only on what they tell you on the phone. Distance does not stop you caring, but it means organising better and sharing out tasks.
It helps to separate three things: what you can do from afar (paperwork, coordination, calls), what needs someone present (going to the doctor, checking the fridge, checking the medication) and what public services or professionals can cover. If your parents have not yet applied for recognition of dependency, it helps to understand the levels of dependency and how they are assessed.
Which public services can help?
The most important are telecare, home help and local social services. Since Royal Decree 675/2023, telecare is considered an individual entitlement for people with recognised dependency and is provided as a complementary service at any level, except when the person is in residential care.
Telecare is a device (usually a pendant alarm) linked to a centre that answers 24 hours a day. Apart from the dependency system, many town councils offer it through their social services, with requirements and conditions that vary by area, so ask your parents' council directly.
- Telecare: immediate alert after a fall or if the person feels unwell.
- Home help service: support with personal care and housework, according to the care plan.
- Health centre: the primary care nurse can provide follow-up and home visits if needed.
- Local social services: the gateway to almost all support.
Which digital and practical tools work best?
The ones that depend least on your mother or father remembering to use them. A telecare pendant, a calendar shared between siblings or medication prepared by the pharmacy work on their own; a complicated mobile app often does not.
| Tool | What it is for | Things to bear in mind |
|---|---|---|
| Telecare | Calling for urgent help at the press of a button | The pendant must be worn at all times |
| GPS locator | Knowing where someone at risk of getting lost is | Needs charging and the person's consent |
| Scheduled video call | Seeing how the person looks, their mood and the home | Best at fixed times, with a simple device |
| Family calendar or chat | Sharing out appointments, visits and shopping | One person should coordinate it |
| Digital health record | Checking reports and active medication | Needs a digital ID; access for relatives varies |
| Medication in a dosage system | Doses prepared by day and time | Prepared by a pharmacy; someone should check it is taken |
According to a 2025 Government answer to the Spanish Congress, the National Health System's digital health record has been available through the Carpeta Ciudadana (citizen folder) since July 2023, and e-prescriptions have worked across all regions since March 2019. If your relative needs extra safety, you can also read our article on locators for older people.
How can you keep an eye on medication from afar?
This is the biggest worry for long distance carers, because a missed or repeated dose cannot be seen over the phone. The most effective approach is to combine medication prepared by the pharmacy with a simple check by someone nearby.
The Spanish Ministry of Health consensus document on frailty and falls (2026) mentions pill organisers prepared by pharmacies, such as the personalised dosage system (SPD), as a way to prevent errors in taking medication.
- Ask the GP for the active medication sheet and keep a copy.
- Use a single trusted pharmacy for all dispensing.
- Consider a personalised dosage system: each blister pocket shows the day and time, so a missed dose is easy to spot.
- Ask a neighbour, carer or nearby relative to check the blister pack once or twice a week, or to send you a photo.
- Check any change after an appointment or hospital stay with the health centre.
You will find more ideas in 5 ways to know whether your parents are taking their medication.
What leave are you entitled to if you need to travel?
The Spanish Workers' Statute provides five days of paid leave for a serious accident or illness, hospital stay or operation requiring rest at home of relatives up to the second degree, such as parents. It also recognises the right to be absent for urgent family reasons (force majeure), with four days a year paid.
- Article 37.3 b: five days for a relative's serious illness or hospital stay.
- Article 37.9: absence for urgent family reasons; hours equivalent to four days a year are paid, according to the collective agreement or company agreement.
- Article 34.8: right to request adapted working hours or remote work to care for relatives up to the second degree.
Your collective agreement may improve on these terms, so check with your employer or union representatives.
A practical example: Laura in Madrid and her mother in Lugo
Take the case of Laura, who lives in Madrid, and her mother Pilar, 84, who lives alone in Lugo and takes seven medicines. Laura calls every day, but does not know whether Pilar is taking her tablets properly and worries about a fall at night.
A reasonable plan would be: apply for a dependency assessment and telecare through social services; centralise the medication at a pharmacy that prepares it in a dosage system; agree with a neighbour to look at the blister pack on Mondays and Thursdays; and set up a shared calendar of visits and appointments with her brother. Laura still coordinates from Madrid, but no longer relies only on her mother's memory.
How can IMA Health help?
At IMA Health we make sure your relative's medication arrives at their home prepared by a specialised pharmacy, by day and time of each dose. We coordinate treatment changes with the pharmacy and provide personalised follow-up, so you have one less thing to worry about even if you live far away.
Sources
- BOE: Royal Decree 675/2023 on long-term care (dependency) benefits
- BOE: Workers' Statute (consolidated text)
- Spanish Congress: Government answer on digital health records and e-prescriptions (2025)
- Spanish Ministry of Health: updated consensus document on frailty and falls in older people (2026)
This article is for information only and does not replace advice from your doctor or pharmacist.