The Mauritius Guide to Caring for an Elderly Parent at Home
A free guide for Mauritian and Expat families
It usually starts with something small. A pot left on the stove. A tablet still sitting in the Monday compartment on Thursday. A fall in the bathroom that your mother mentions three days later, lightly, as though it were nothing at all.
Then comes the harder part, which is not knowing what to do next. Whether this is ageing or something more. Whether to say something now or wait. Whether help means taking her independence away or giving it back.
This guide is for that moment. It is a practical, honest resource for families across Mauritius who are trying to keep an ageing parent safe, comfortable and independent in their own home, written for the people actually making these decisions rather than for professionals.
Who is this for
Every family arrives at this differently. Three situations come up again and again with the families we meet in the north.
You have started to notice things
Small changes that you cannot quite name yet. This guide will help you work out what you are actually looking at, and what is worth acting on now rather than watching.
You are managing this from another country
More than 100,000 Mauritians live abroad, and a great many of them are quietly organising care for a parent from the UK, France, Australia, Canada or South Africa. Distance makes every decision harder to verify. We deal with this directly.
You are already the carer
You are doing the shopping, the appointments and the medication, and it has become bigger than you expected. There is a part of this guide for you, not just for your parent.
How this guide works
We are writing this guide chapter by chapter and publishing each part as it is finished. Section titles that are linked below are ready to read now. The rest are on the way.
When the full guide is complete, it will also be available as a single printable PDF you can keep, send to a sibling, or hand to a doctor. There is nothing to sign up for and nothing to pay. We would rather it was easy to share.
If you would rather just ask a person, that works too. Our details are at the bottom of this page.
What the guide covers
Fourteen parts, from recognising the first signs through to government support, printable checklists and building a care plan.
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Why this guide exists, and who it is for
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Needing help does not mean losing independence
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Choosing the right level of care
Companion care: conversation, walks, meals and company
Personal care: washing, dressing, mobility and dignity
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Dementia care: early signs, communication, routine and safety
Alzheimer's care: understanding and supporting a loved one
Caring for someone who has had a stroke
Post-hospital care: bringing a parent home safely
Falls and mobility: prevention, and what to do after a fall
Caring for a bedridden or reduced-mobility parent
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Preparing a home for an elderly parent: a 30-minute assessment
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Medication management at home: a practical system
Nutrition and hydration for an ageing parent
Exercise and movement for seniors at home
Sleep changes in older age: what is normal and what is not
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Loneliness and social isolation: 20 ideas for connection
When an elderly parent refuses help
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When the family becomes the care team
How siblings can share the responsibility
Caring for a parent in Mauritius when you live overseas
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How to choose a home care provider in Mauritius
Questions to ask before hiring a caregiver
What does elderly care cost in Mauritius?
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Government support for older people
Protection of elderly persons: recognising and reporting abuse
Emergency information: numbers every family should have
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Family care plan
Caregiver interview checklist
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Your parent's personal care plan
Reviewing and updating the plan
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Our services, plainly described
Starting home care: what happens next
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Useful government resources
Important contacts
Glossary of care terms
Family care planning worksheets
Sources and references
Printable family tools
Five one-page sheets you can print, fill in by hand and keep. They are free, there is nothing to sign up for, and more are on the way as the guide is written.
The Home Safety Checklist
Forty-six checks, room by room, from the front gate through to cyclone season.
Emergency Contact Sheet
Every number that matters on one page, ready for the fridge door.
Medication Record
What is taken, when, and who prescribed it. Take it to every appointment.
Medical Appointment Record
What was said and what was decided, so nothing is lost between visits.
Daily Care Log
A week at a glance, for families sharing the care between them.
Print them, keep them, pass them on to anyone who might need them. If you run a clinic, a pharmacy or a community group in the north and would like printed copies for your waiting room, send us a message and we will bring some round.
Who is writing this
Homebird is a home care agency serving Northern Mauritius, from Grand Baie and Pereybere across to Goodlands, Triolet and Cap Malheureux. We started it because we had lived through it ourselves, first caring for a father with dementia over two years, and later for a mother after a broken hip.
We are writing this guide because most of what families here can find online was written for somewhere else. It does not account for the fact that your sister is in Melbourne, that a specialist appointment can take three months, or that trusting a stranger in your mother's house is a decision nobody makes lightly in a community this size.
Nothing in this guide requires you to hire us. If it helps you look after your parent better on your own, that is a good outcome.
Not sure where to start?
If you would rather talk it through than read, send us a message. No pressure and no obligation, just a conversation about what your parent actually needs.
Last updated: August 2026