NRIs often confuse home nurses with hospital companions. They serve completely different purposes, and understanding the difference helps you choose the right support for your parents.
What a Home Nurse Does
A home nurse is a licensed medical professional (GNM or BSc Nursing) who provides clinical care at home: administering injections, IV drips, wound dressing, monitoring vitals (BP, sugar, oxygen), catheter management, and post-surgical care. They typically cost ₹500–₹1,500/day for 8–12 hour shifts, or ₹25,000–₹40,000/month for live-in.
What a Hospital Companion Does
A Corelatin companion is a trained non-medical support person who accompanies your parents to hospital visits. They handle: queue management, wheelchair assistance, hospital navigation, prescription collection, pharmacy pickup, billing desk coordination, and live WhatsApp updates to you abroad. Pricing starts from ₹249/hr. See all our services.
Key Differences
| Factor | Home Nurse | Hospital Companion |
|---|---|---|
| Medical procedures | Yes (injections, IV, dressing) | No |
| Hospital visits | Not their role | Core purpose |
| Queue & paperwork | No | Yes |
| Live updates to NRI family | Rare | Standard |
| Cost | ₹500–₹1,500/day | ₹249/hr |
| Duration | Long-term (weeks/months) | Per visit (hours) |
When You Need Which
Home nurse: Your parent is recovering from surgery at home and needs wound care, IV antibiotics, or vitals monitoring.
Hospital companion: Your parent has an OPD appointment, diagnostic tests, or a specialist consultation and needs someone to navigate the hospital, manage queues, and keep you informed.
Both: Your parent is post-surgery — a home nurse handles recovery at home, and a Corelatin companion handles follow-up hospital visits. Read our post-surgery care guide.
Important Note
Corelatin companions are not nurses and do not provide medical care. If your parent needs clinical procedures, please engage a licensed home nurse or contact the hospital.