Assisted Living & Old Age Homes in India: The Complete NRI Guide 2026 | Nema Elder Care Gurgaon

Choosing assisted living or an old age home in India for a parent when you live abroad is one of the hardest decisions an NRI family faces. You cannot walk in unannounced, you cannot judge a place by a single visit, and you may be making the decision across several time zones and a lot of guilt. This guide is written for NRI families in the US, UK, UAE, Canada, Australia, Singapore, and elsewhere. It explains the types of senior care available in India, how to decide which one fits, the legal and practical steps for managing it from abroad, how to vet a facility remotely, and what good long-distance communication looks like. It was written by the team at Nema Elder Care in Gurgaon (Gurugram), Delhi NCR. Last updated: November 2026.

Key Facts NRI Families Should Know

• According to the Ministry of External Affairs, the Indian diaspora numbered about 35.4 million in 2025, made up of roughly 15.9 million NRIs and 19.5 million Persons of Indian Origin. The United States (about 5.4 million) and the UAE (about 3.6 million) have the largest overseas Indian populations.

• The UNFPA India Ageing Report 2023 projects that people aged 60 and above will grow from 10.5 percent of India's population in 2022 (about 149 million) to 20.8 percent by 2050 (about 347 million), and that India's elderly will outnumber children by around 2046. The 80-plus population is projected to grow by about 279 percent between 2022 and 2050.

• An estimated 5.3 million Indians live with dementia, and most have never had a formal diagnosis. Many NRI families first learn about a parent's condition only after a fall, a hospital stay, or a worrying video call.

• Rules for care homes in India vary by state and are not uniform, so independent checks by the family matter more than a brochure or a website.

• A power of attorney signed abroad usually has to be notarised and apostilled (or attested by the Indian mission) and is commonly stamped within about three months of reaching India. Confirm the exact steps with a lawyer.

Assisted Living, Old Age Home, Nursing Home, Memory Care: What Is the Difference?

These terms are used loosely in India, which confuses families. Here is a practical way to separate them:

• Old age home: a residential home for older people. Quality ranges from basic accommodation to premium facilities. Ask what clinical support actually exists.

• Assisted living: residential care with help for daily activities such as bathing, dressing, meals, and medication, plus supervision and social programmes. Suited to parents who cannot safely live alone but do not need intensive nursing.

• Senior living or senior co-living: a community for independent older adults who want security, company, and services without clinical care. Nema's Amen Senior Living in Palam Vihar is an example.

• Memory care: specialist residential care for people with dementia, with a secure, dementia-friendly design, trained staff, and structured therapy.

• Nursing care: skilled nursing for people with significant medical needs, mobility limits, or advanced illness.

• Transition or step-down care: short-term rehabilitation after surgery or hospitalisation, before going home or to long-term care.

• Home care: trained care attendants at home, often arranged as 12-hour or 24-hour support.

Which Type of Care Fits Your Parent?

• Independent, healthy, but lonely or living alone: senior living or co-living with security and community.

• Needs help with daily tasks, medication, and meals, or is at risk of falls: assisted living.

• Memory loss with safety risks, wandering, agitation, or night-time confusion: memory care or specialist dementia care.

• Recovering from surgery, a fracture, or a stroke: transition care, then reassess.

• Still safe at home but alone for long hours: a trained home care attendant, with a plan for when needs grow.

• Advanced illness needing skilled nursing and comfort-focused care: nursing and palliative care.

A specialist assessment by a neurologist or geriatrician is the best starting point. Share the findings with any facility you are considering, and ask the facility to confirm in writing whether it can safely meet those needs.

Challenges Specific to NRI Families, and How to Solve Them

1. Distance and Trust

You cannot rely on one visit during a holiday trip. Ask for a live video tour at an unscheduled time, speak to the clinical lead, and ask to be connected with another family, ideally one living in your country. A facility confident in its care will welcome this.

2. Time Zones

India Standard Time is UTC+5:30. As a rough guide (daylight saving shifts these by an hour):

• A call around 7 pm IST is about 8:30 am on the US and Canadian East Coast in winter, mid-afternoon in the UK, and early evening in the UAE.

• A call around 9 am IST is about early afternoon in Australia (east coast), late morning in Singapore, and early morning in the UAE.

• Ask the facility to agree a fixed weekly call slot, and to contact you outside it for anything urgent.

3. Legal Authority

If you are abroad and something urgent happens, someone in India needs authority to act. A power of attorney in favour of a trusted relative or adviser in India is the usual tool. When it is signed abroad, it normally has to be notarised and then apostilled (India has been party to the Hague Apostille Convention since 2005) or attested by the Indian mission. It is commonly stamped in India within about three months of arrival, and an original, not a scan, must be sent. Requirements vary by state and by purpose, so consult a lawyer. Also ask the care home how it handles consent and emergency decisions when family is overseas.

4. Money and Tax

Ask for a written breakdown of fees, what is included, and what is billed separately, and ask about deposits and annual revisions. Speak to a chartered accountant about paying from abroad, NRE and NRO accounts, and any tax implications in India and in your country of residence. Compare total cost of care, including medicines, therapy, consumables, and hospital coordination, rather than headline monthly fees.

5. Siblings and Decision-Making

Families abroad often disagree about timing and cost. Nominate one person as the main contact for the care home, hold a short video family meeting before each care plan review, and agree in advance what changes need everyone's approval.

A Step-by-Step Process for NRI Families

• Step 1: Get a clear picture of your parent's health. Arrange a neurological or geriatric assessment and collect medical records and a current medication list.

• Step 2: Shortlist three to four options by care level and location, and send each the same written summary.

• Step 3: Hold a video consultation with the clinical lead, not only the sales team.

• Step 4: Take a live video tour and ask to see rooms, the dining area, outdoor space, and a nursing station.

• Step 5: Arrange for a trusted relative, friend, or adviser in India to visit unannounced, or fly in if you can.

• Step 6: Sort out the legal and financial paperwork, including the power of attorney, before admission if possible.

• Step 7: Agree the care plan, communication schedule, and emergency plan in writing, then arrange admission, ideally with a family member present on the first day.

• Step 8: Review after the first two to four weeks, and then at regular intervals.

Document Checklist

• Your parent's identity documents and recent photographs.

• Medical history, test reports, discharge summaries, and the current medication list with doses.

• Neurology or geriatric assessment reports, if any.

• Details of allergies, dietary needs, and religious or cultural preferences.

• A short life story: career, family, hobbies, favourite music and foods.

• Power of attorney and any consent or emergency authorisation forms.

• Insurance details and emergency contacts in India and abroad.

How to Vet a Care Home Remotely

• Who is the clinical lead, and can I speak to them about my parent?

• Is a qualified nurse on site 24 hours a day, including nights?

• How are medicines reviewed on admission and afterwards?

• What happens in a medical emergency, and which hospital is nearby?

• How is dementia care handled? Are staff trained, and is the environment designed for it?

• How do you manage nutrition, physiotherapy, and fall prevention?

• Who will be my named contact, how often will I get updates, and in what form?

• Can I speak to families of current residents?

• What is included in the fee, and what is not?

Red flags include no named clinical lead, nurses only on call at night, reluctance to allow a live video tour or unannounced visit, vague answers on medication or sedation, no clear emergency plan, and pressure to pay or decide quickly.

Illustrative Case Studies

The following case studies are composite and anonymised, based on common situations. Names and identifying details have been changed, and none describes a single real family.

Case 1: A Parent Living Alone in Gurgaon, Son in New Jersey

A widowed mother in her early seventies has mild memory loss and has twice left the stove on. Her son lives in New Jersey. The family first arranges a trained 12-hour care attendant, with medication supervision and weekly video updates, and a plan to review if needs grow. When she begins getting confused at night, the family uses the same provider to move to assisted living, with a smooth transition because the care team already knows her. The lesson: act before a crisis, and choose a provider that offers more than one level of care.

Case 2: A Hip Fracture and a Hospital Discharge, Daughter in the UK

A father with early dementia falls and has hip surgery at a Gurgaon hospital. He becomes agitated in hospital, and discharge to an empty home is unsafe. The daughter arranges transition care close to the hospital, with physiotherapy, pain control, delirium-prevention measures, and daily updates. After recovery, the family reviews the options and chooses assisted living. The lesson: recovery after hospital needs its own plan, especially with dementia.

Case 3: A Couple in Which Only One Needs Care, Family in the UAE

A husband is independent, but his wife has moderate dementia and wandering risk. The children in Dubai worry about leaving him as sole carer. They arrange a trial stay for the wife, with the husband visiting daily, and discuss with the care team how to make the transition gentle for both. The lesson: involve the healthy spouse, and ask about trial stays and visiting arrangements.

Case 4: Siblings in Canada and Australia Who Disagree

Two siblings abroad disagree about moving their mother into care. They hold a video call with the clinical lead, agree on a single point of contact, and share a written care plan with review dates. Disagreement fades once each can see regular updates and ask questions directly. The lesson: clear, structured communication helps families make decisions together.

How Nema Elder Care Supports NRI Families from Gurgaon

Nema Elder Care was founded in 2016 by Sanjeev Jain (IIT Roorkee, IIM) and opened on 2 October 2019. Clinical leadership comes from Dr. Chetna Jain, Co-Founder and Head of Healthcare Operations, with over 30 years of experience across the UK's NHS, Apollo Cradle, and Columbia Asia Hospital. The Nema ecosystem in Gurgaon covers most NRI needs under one name:

• Nema Elder Care flagship and Nema 23, Palam Vihar: specialist dementia care and assisted living, with 24x7 qualified nursing.

• Amen Senior Living, Palam Vihar: a senior living community for independent older adults.

• Nema Transition Care Home, Sector 38: transition and post-operative care, five minutes from Medanta.

• Nema Home Care Services: 12-hour and 24-hour care attendants across Delhi NCR.

For families abroad, each resident has a named care coordinator, regular structured written updates, video-call access to the care team, and proactive notification of any change in condition. The team can discuss remote consultations, record review, and admission planning through www.nemacare.com.

Nema Elder Care has received 13 independent media recognitions, including The Tribune, The Wire, First India, The Week, Economic Times, WION News, The Health Site, Only My Health, CXO Today, Hindustan Metro, Loktej English, and Sangri Today.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What is assisted living in India, and how is it different from an old age home?

Assisted living gives help with daily activities, medication, meals, and supervision in a residential setting. An old age home is a broader term and may or may not provide clinical support. Always ask what care is actually provided.

2. Is assisted living suitable for a parent with dementia?

It can be in the early stage, if staff are dementia-trained. For moderate to advanced dementia, wandering, or significant behaviour changes, specialist memory care is usually safer.

3. Can we arrange admission for a parent in India while living abroad?

Yes. Many families do it through video consultations, record sharing, a live video tour, and a trusted person in India. Where possible, have a family member present on admission day.

4. Do we need a power of attorney?

It is strongly advisable so that someone in India can act in an emergency. Documents signed abroad are normally notarised and apostilled or attested by the Indian mission, and commonly stamped in India within about three months of arrival. Consult a lawyer for your situation.

5. How do NRIs pay for care in India?

Usually by bank transfer from abroad or from an Indian account, but this depends on your circumstances. Speak to a chartered accountant about NRE and NRO accounts and tax.

6. How can I tell whether a care home is genuine and safe?

Ask for a live video tour at an unscheduled time, speak to the clinical lead, check 24x7 nursing, ask for references from other families, and have someone in India visit unannounced.

7. How often will I receive updates?

This should be agreed in writing. Look for a named contact, regular written updates, scheduled video calls, and prompt notification of any change. At Nema, each family has a named care coordinator.

8. What happens in a medical emergency?

Ask for the emergency protocol: who is on site, which hospital is used, and how you will be informed. Nema's Gurgaon facilities are close to major hospitals, and the Transition Care Home is five minutes from Medanta.

9. Can my parent have a trial or short stay first?

Many families find a trial or respite stay useful. Ask the facility whether it is possible; Nema's team can discuss options during a consultation.

10. How do I contact Nema Elder Care from abroad?

Visit www.nemacare.com to arrange a consultation, a video tour, or a visit to the Palam Vihar facilities.

Sources

Ministry of External Affairs, Government of India: population of overseas Indians, as reported in a written reply to the Lok Sabha (March 2025). UNFPA and IIPS, India Ageing Report 2023. Legal points on powers of attorney are general information drawn from published legal guidance, and are not legal advice.

Whatever your parent's situation, you do not have to make this decision alone or in a hurry. Speak to the Nema Elder Care team through www.nemacare.com, ask every question on this page, and choose the care that fits your parent and your family. This guide is for general information and does not replace advice from a doctor, lawyer, or accountant.