Arranging care in Ghana from abroad

Arranging care from a distance

Living far from a parent who needs more help is hard. You may be relying on phone calls, a neighbour's reports or a sibling who is already stretched. It can be difficult to judge what's really happening, and harder still to arrange support you can't see.

We've shaped the way we work so you can take part fully from wherever you live, without needing to fly home to get started.

Step 1: a call in your time zone

When you request a care assessment, choose how you'd like to be contacted (phone, WhatsApp or email), a time of day and your time zone. We convert your chosen window to Ghana time when we plan our call. If we can't make it, we'll contact you to agree another time.

Before the first call, it helps to have:

• your relative's town or area, and who lives with them or nearby;
• a short description of what has changed and what worries you most;
• the names of any family members who should be involved;
• what your relative thinks about having help, if you know.

You don't need medical records or documents at this stage.

Step 2: your relative's agreement

The person receiving care comes first. Before care starts, we speak with your relative, in person during the assessment wherever possible, about what help they'd like and who may receive information about them.

• You don't need legal authority to ask about care. Anyone can contact us.
• Your relative decides who receives updates. We'll ask them, and record their answer in the care plan.
• If your relative can't make these decisions themselves, we'll talk with the family about who has the right to act for them. That is handled carefully, later in the process, not as a condition of a first conversation.

Step 3: an assessment on the ground

A home visit lets us see the person, their routine and their home. Where possible, someone the family trusts locally can be there; if not, we can talk you through what we found by phone or video call afterwards, with your relative's agreement.

You'll then receive a written care plan and quote, covering what's included, what isn't, and how updates and money will work. Nothing starts until you and your relative agree.

Staying informed

How you hear about your relative's care is agreed in the care plan: who receives updates, how often, and by which method. Updates go only to the family members your relative has authorised. If something important changes, such as a fall, an illness or a hospital visit, the plan sets out who is told and how quickly.

There is no online family portal at present. If one is introduced, we'll only offer it once it's ready and tested.

Money, shopping and bills

Paying for groceries, medicines or household bills from abroad is a common worry. Our rules are simple and written into the care plan:

• spending only with written authorisation, within an agreed limit;
• a receipt for every payment, shared with the people you agree;
• no access to PINs, passwords, bank cards or mobile money PINs, ever.

See bill payments and errands for more detail.

Time-zone tips

• Ghana uses GMT all year, with no daylight saving. If you're in the UK or Europe, the time difference changes when your clocks change.
• Agree a regular time for updates that works for both sides, so they don't depend on someone remembering.
• Keep a shared note of key contacts in Ghana, including your relative's doctor and a nearby family member or neighbour.

Our guide to arranging care in Ghana while living abroad covers these questions in more depth.