Can I find my father or mother without them knowing?

It's not a good idea: they're an adult and decide about their own data. What works is doing it both ways (you share too), saying what you'll see, and letting them turn it off.

How much does telecare for older people cost?

Public telecare, arranged through social services or Spain's Dependency Law, can be free or require a co-payment. As of October 15, 2026, according to Selectra, private telecare ran from about €10/month for Cruz Roja's basic mobile service to €23.90–29/month for watches and kits from other companies.

Is a GPS watch or an app better for an older person?

If they use a phone and carry it with them, an app (with large text and a one-tap “I'm okay”) gives them more. If they don't use a phone, a GPS watch or pendant with a button, or telecare.

How do I get my mom to agree to share her location?

Start with your worry, not with her age; offer to share your location too; tell her what you'll see and what you won't, and that she can turn it off. Try it for a week and review it together.

Seniors · Family

Locating an older parent with consent: options and how to talk about it

Your dad goes out for walks on his own, your mom still drives, and you'd like to know they've got home safely. The options available, from home telecare to an app, what each one costs and, above all, how to talk about it so they make the decision.

The Mi Estela teamOctober 15, 2026 · 7 min read

A speech bubble with a map pin, and a smaller one with a checkmark

In this article

First: what do you really need to know?
The options, from least to most
Which one fits, in a table
How to talk about it (and how not to)
How Mi Estela does it

“I want to be able to find my mom” is a sentence said with all the love in the world, and put that way, it can sound awful to her. An older person is an adult: they decide about their phone, their data, and who knows where they are, just like you do. The good news is that they'll usually say yes when you bring it up well and when the tool helps them too. Here are the options, what each one costs as of October 15, 2026, and how to have the conversation.

First: what do you really need to know?

Before choosing anything, separate two questions that seem like the same one:

“Where are they?” This makes sense if they go out alone, drive, travel, or are starting to get disoriented.
“Are they okay?” This is the worry when they live alone and hardly go out. A map doesn't help with that, since they'll be at home. What helps is an easy “I'm okay” and an alert if something doesn't add up.

Many families look for the first when what they really want is the second. We explain this calmly in how to know your older parents are okay.

The options, from least to most

1. Share location from their own phone (free)

If they have a smartphone, they can already share their location with you: with Find My if you both have iPhones (for one hour, until the end of the day, or indefinitely, with alerts when they arrive at or leave a place), or with Google Maps, which works between iPhone and Android. It's free, and they can see at all times who they're sharing with. What it lacks is what an older person needs most: a clear button to say “I'm okay” or ask for help.

2. A family app designed for older people

A family location app adds what a map doesn't have: arrival alerts, SOS, chat, and video calls in one place. What to look for in an older person (large text, a one-tap “I'm okay,” an alert if they don't move that they can turn on themselves) is covered in location apps for older people: what to look for.

3. A watch or pendant with GPS and a button

For someone who doesn't manage with a phone or doesn't carry one. They have their own SIM card, an SOS button, and sometimes fall detection. What to check: battery life (and whether they'll remember to charge it), the monthly fee, who the button calls (family or a call center), and whether they'll actually wear it. If nobody wears it, it's no use.

4. Telecare (with real people on the other end)

This is the only option with a 24-hour call center that answers, calls family, or sends help. The public service is requested through the town hall's social services or under Spain's Dependency Law (Ley de Dependencia), and it can be free or require a co-payment depending on the region and income. The private service, according to the Selectra comparison checked on October 15, 2026, ranges from about €10/month for Cruz Roja's most basic mobile telecare to €23.90–29/month for the watches and kits from Sicor, Movistar Prosegur, or Securitas Direct, some with a minimum contract period. Confirm with each company before signing. For how it differs from an app: telecare vs. a family location app.

What we don't recommend

Slipping an AirTag into their handbag without telling them. Besides not being meant for that (we explain why in AirTag for locating children or older people), their phone may end up warning them that an unknown item is traveling with them. And the trust lost that day costs far more than the AirTag.

Which one fits, in a table

	What for	Who responds	Cost (Oct 15, 2026)
Find My or Google Maps	Knowing where they are	Family, if they check	Free
Family app	Where they are, “I'm okay,” SOS, video call	Family, with alerts	Free or with optional Premium
GPS watch or pendant	Those who don't use a phone	Family or a call center	Device plus monthly fee
Public telecare	Living alone with security	24-hour call center	Free or co-payment
Private telecare	The same, without waiting	24-hour call center	From about €10/month

They're not mutually exclusive: many people combine home telecare with a family app.

How to talk about it (and how not to)

What works worst is showing up with the app already installed and saying “this is for your own good.” What works best:

Start with yourself, not with them: “I worry when you come back from the village at night” sounds much better than “you can't go out alone anymore.”
Make it two-way: “I share mine with you too, so you know when I get home from work.” Many older people accept once they see it isn't just for them.
Tell them what you'll see and what you won't: whether they've arrived home, yes; who they have coffee with, no. And that they can turn it off whenever they want.
Give them the controls: let them be the one who taps “share,” who chooses whether they appear precisely or only by area, and who turns on the alert if they don't move.
Try it for a week, then decide together what's unnecessary and what's missing.

If there is cognitive decline, the conversation changes but doesn't disappear: as long as they can understand it, you explain it and they decide with you. We cover this in location tools for people with Alzheimer's.

How Mi Estela does it

Mi Estela works both ways: what you see of your mom, she sees of you, and each person chooses whether they appear precisely, by area only, or invisible. For older people there's Senior Mode, a screen with large text and few buttons (“let my family know everything is fine,” see your people, a quick message, the video call); the “I'm okay” check-in, which all the children see at once; and the gentle check-in, which comes switched off and is activated only by the person themselves, who chooses how many hours without moving trigger an alert and who receives it. Sharing location, SOS, chat, calls, and arrival alerts for 3 spots are free. It doesn't replace telecare or 112. Everything for this stage of life is in for adult children of older parents.

Sources

Written by the Mi Estela team. We talk about other apps with sources and dates; if you spot anything outdated, drop us a line at hola@miestela.app and we'll fix it. Brands and names mentioned belong to their respective owners.