Guides
Helping a parent with a video visit: a guide for adult children and caregivers
To help a parent with a video visit, set up the device, the connection and a medication list, and sit with them during the call if they want you there. They are the patient: they show their ID, sign their own consent and talk with the doctor. You organize and help with the technology. It works well for chronic-condition follow-up, refills of medicines they already take (non-controlled) and lab orders.
Is it an emergency? Call 911.
Pay now, then choose your time right away. Full refund if you cancel 24 hours or more ahead.
See the cancellation policy
You can cancel for a full refund or change the time up to 24 hours before your visit. Within 24 hours you can't cancel and there's no refund. If you don't join in the first 10 minutes, there's no refund.
If you choose a time less than 24 hours away, it can't be cancelled or changed.
If the clinic can't see you, for example because of a technical problem on our side, we refund you in full.
Is this an emergency?
This is not an emergency service. Call 911 or go to the nearest emergency room if you have:
- Chest pain or pressure, or shortness of breath at rest
- A drooping face, weakness on one side, trouble speaking or sudden confusion
- A fall with a blow to the head, especially on blood thinners
- Fainting, or new drowsiness or confusion
- Thoughts of self-harm: call 988 or Línea PAS, 1-800-981-0023
Help lines
Why video visits work well for older adults
For many older adults, getting to a doctor's office means relying on someone for a ride, sitting in a full waiting room and losing half a day. A video call from the living room removes most of that effort. And if you live far away, in another town or on the mainland, your parent can put the call on speaker and, with their permission, you listen from wherever you are, then go over what the doctor explained together.
Dr. Diana Nieves Castro, MD is a general practice physician licensed in Puerto Rico, with several years of emergency-department experience, who sees patients in English or Spanish. She evaluates, diagnoses and treats; if needed, she gives a lab order for a lab near your parent's home. See how it works and meet the doctor.
Who the patient is and what you can do
Your mom or dad is an adult and makes their own health decisions. That is why the patient is the one who shows photo ID, signs their own consent and answers the doctor's questions. If they can decide for themselves, they sign their own consent.
What you can do, with your parent's permission, is nearly everything else:
- Request the visit with them, sitting beside them, so they answer the form questions with your help.
- Set up the phone, tablet or computer and test the connection before the visit time.
- Gather the medication list, readings and recent labs (below we show how).
- Stay in the visit to help with the camera, take notes and ask questions if they ask you to.
- Listen in from wherever you are if you live far away: with their permission, they can put the call on speaker.
- Go over the plan with them at the end of the visit and help them follow it at home.
Before you book: talk with your parent
Before booking, ask whether they want the visit and whether they want you present. Some older adults prefer to speak with the doctor alone for part of the visit, and that is their right. If so, help them connect, give them space and rejoin at the end to go over the plan.
If your parent has trouble understanding or making decisions about their health, write to us through the contact page before requesting the visit so we can guide you.
How to prepare your parent's video visit, step by step
Do this the day before, not five minutes before the visit time:
- Pick the device. A phone with a large screen, a tablet or a computer with a camera. A tablet on a stand is easier than a phone held in the hand.
- Check the signal. Test the connection in the spot where they will sit. If the home internet is weak, move closer to the router or use mobile data. Keep the device charging.
- Find light and quiet. A window in front of them or a lamp, not behind the person. Turn off the TV and let others in the house know.
- Have photo ID ready for your parent. It is shown on camera at the start.
- Gather the medication list and readings. See the next section.
- Write down the questions. On paper, in large print: their biggest worry, a new symptom, a side effect, which medicine is running out.
- Have the pharmacy name and, if they know it, the phone number, in case the doctor prescribes something.
- Confirm they will be physically in Puerto Rico during the visit. Visitors to the island are welcome.
The medication list: the most useful thing you can bring
A complete, current list does more than anything else to make the visit go well. Go through the medicine cabinet with your parent and pull everything out: prescribed medicines, over-the-counter ones, vitamins, supplements, teas and natural products. You can photograph each bottle, but do not send the photos by WhatsApp or email; show them during the visit.
For each medicine write down:
- The exact name and the dose on the label.
- How many times a day they actually take it, which is sometimes not what the label says.
- What it is for, if they know.
- How long they have taken it and who prescribed it.
- How much is left: the date it runs out.
- Any allergy or reaction they have had to a medicine.
- Medicines they stopped or take only now and then, and why.
Readings and labs: what to bring by condition
If your parent has a chronic condition, the doctor works best with home numbers and recent labs:
- High blood pressure: write down several readings from the week, with date and time, taken seated and at rest. Read more in high blood pressure.
- Diabetes: bring fasting and after-meal sugar readings, and the latest hemoglobin A1c if they have one. Read more in type 2 diabetes.
- Weight: weigh them at home, because weight matters for dosing and follow-up.
- Previous labs: a photo or copy of the most recent results to show on camera.
- New symptoms: dizziness, falls, shortness of breath, swelling, changes in appetite or sleep. Note when they started.
What the doctor can do for your parent
Chronic-condition follow-up by video lets the doctor review home readings and labs, go over medicines and how they are taken, adjust the plan when appropriate and give the lab order needed for a lab near their home. Reviewing the results is a follow-up visit.
For a medicine they already take that is running low, there are prescription refills: the doctor checks that the medicine is still appropriate and, if it is, we send the prescription to their pharmacy. Refills are for non-controlled medicines. If you have a question about a particular medicine, ask the doctor during the visit. If a prescription was lost, read lost or forgotten prescription.
And if what they need is a doctor for general health, an online doctor visit covers a new symptom, a question or an existing condition. Video doctor visits 24/7 — book online and choose your time right away. If not having insurance is the obstacle, see seeing a doctor without insurance.
During the visit: how to help without taking over
Connect your parent first and introduce yourself. Then let them describe how they feel in their own words: the doctor needs to hear it from the patient. Step in to fill in a detail they cannot recall, such as when a symptom began or how often they took a medicine, and ask politely: "Would you like me to share what I have noticed?"
Some practical tips:
- Speak slowly and wait: some older adults need more time to answer, and internet audio has a slight delay.
- If they do not hear well, turn up the volume or use headphones; if they do not see well, bring the screen closer.
- Ask the doctor to repeat or explain in other words anything that is unclear. No one has to pretend they understood.
- Before the end, repeat the plan out loud: which medicines change, which labs to get and when the next follow-up is.
- Visits are not recorded. Write down the important points as the doctor speaks.
After the visit
If the doctor prescribes something, the prescription goes to the pharmacy they named. Help them confirm with the pharmacy that it arrived and organize the medicines. A weekly pill box with phone alarms helps a lot when they take several medicines a day. If you received a lab order, take it to a lab near their home; many labs ask for fasting, and the doctor will say if that applies.
Schedule the follow-up and set a reminder. If symptoms change or get worse, do not wait for the next visit.
Warning signs in older adults: do not wait for a video visit
Call 911 or go to the ER, day or night, if your parent has any of these signs. Read also emergencies.
- Chest pain or pressure, or shortness of breath at rest.
- A drooping face, weakness in an arm or leg, trouble speaking or sudden confusion (possible stroke).
- A fall with a blow to the head, especially if they take blood thinners, or with severe pain that keeps them from moving.
- Fainting, or new drowsiness or confusion.
- Very low blood sugar that does not correct after taking sugar, or very high sugar with vomiting and heavy thirst.
- Vomiting blood, black stools or bleeding that will not stop.
- Thoughts of self-harm: call 988 or Línea PAS, 1-800-981-0023.
How we care for you
We evaluate, diagnose and treat; if needed, we give you a lab order for a lab near you.
We see adults and children of all ages. Patients under 21: a parent with patria potestad (parental authority) or a legal guardian is on camera for the whole visit and shows photo ID.
Real-time video visit. We send you a secure video link. It works on your phone, tablet or computer.
If appropriate, the doctor prescribes and we send your prescription to your pharmacy.
You must be physically in Puerto Rico during the visit (visitors, tourists and cruise passengers are welcome).
In an emergency, call 911.
Frequently asked questions
Can I request the video visit for my mom or dad?
Do I have to be in the visit?
I live on the mainland and my mom lives in Puerto Rico. Can I take part?
Can my mom refill her blood pressure and diabetes medicines by video?
What if my dad is not comfortable with technology?
What if my mom has trouble making decisions?
Is the visit recorded?
About this page
Author: The Health Initiative
Medical care provided by Dr. Diana Nieves Castro, MD (PR license 24027)
Disclosure: Founding Executive Director of The Health Initiative
Published: 2026-10-10 · Updated: 2026-10-11
Sources (4)
- Telehealth tips for older adults (National Institute on Aging) (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-10-10)
- Monitoring your blood pressure at home (American Heart Association) (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-10-10)
- Puerto Rico Telemedicine and Telehealth Act, Ley 168-2018 (LexJuris, Spanish) (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-09-29)
- Telehealth Regulation 9518 (Puerto Rico Department of Health, Spanish) (opens in a new tab) (accessed 2026-09-29)