Homes for the aged and nursing homes in the Philippines

Your parent can no longer live alone, and there is no one at home to look after them full time. This page covers the kinds of home, how to check one from abroad, what to ask on a visit, the option of care at home, and what public benefits do and do not pay for.

This site names no private home and recommends none. The DSWD centres below are named because the DSWD lists them.

Government-run centres

The DSWD runs four residential centres for older people. Its list of centres and residential care facilities (Standards Bureau, as of 22 October 2026) names them:

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The Expanded Senior Citizens Act (RA 9994, Sec. 5) describes government residential care and group homes as care “for the abandoned, neglected, unattached or homeless senior citizens and those incapable of self-care”. A parent with family paying for their care is not who these centres are set up for. The DSWD’s centres page does not say how to apply for a place. Ask the social welfare office of the city or town where your parent lives, or the DSWD field office for the region.

Some cities and provinces run their own centres. The DSWD Standards Bureau publishes a separate list of LGU centres and residential care facilities with valid accreditation. Your parent’s city or municipal social welfare office knows which ones are near.

How to check a home

You can check most of what a home tells you, even from abroad.

• Private non-profit homes. A church, foundation or other non-stock, non-profit group that cares for older people counts as a social welfare and development agency (SWDA). DSWD Memorandum Circular 18 (2024) defines an SWDA as “a non-stock, nonprofit corporation, organization or association”. The DSWD registers it, gives it a licence to operate, and accredits its programmes. The Standards Bureau publishes the list of private SWDAs with valid registration and licence to operate (the current list is dated 25 August 2026). Look for the home’s name, then check that its services and area of operation cover older people where your parent lives.
• City and provincial homes. Public agencies do not need DSWD registration or a licence, but their programmes must be accredited. Check the LGU list for the home and the date its accreditation runs to.
• Homes run as a business. The DSWD’s private list covers non-stock, non-profit agencies, so a home run for profit may not appear on it. Ask the owner which permits the home operates under, and check them with the city hall.
• Medical care. The DOH licenses hospitals and other health facilities, each with a licence to operate. If a home says it gives nursing or medical care, ask whether it holds a DOH licence, and for which kind of facility. Then confirm it with the DOH regional office.

Ask to see each certificate. Then check it against the list, because a framed certificate can be out of date.

Questions to ask on a visit

Take this list with you, or send it to whoever visits for you. Write the answers down.

• How many staff are on duty at night, and what does each one do?
• Which doctor sees residents, and how often? Is a nurse on site, and on which shifts?
• Who gives the medicines, and how is each dose recorded?
• What happens if a resident falls ill at night? Which hospital do you use, and how long is the drive?
• What is the monthly fee, in writing? What does it include (room, meals, laundry, diapers, medicines), and what is billed on top?
• What happens to the fee if my parent needs more care later?
• Is there a written contract? How much notice does either side give to end it, and what is refunded?
• When can family visit? Can you set up video calls with family abroad, and how often?
• Who do you call first in an emergency, and how do you reach a family member who is abroad?

Care at home instead

A home is one option. Care at home is another, if someone can manage it day to day.

A trained caregiver. TESDA’s qualification for this work is Caregiving (Elderly) NC II. Its training covers the ageing process, the client’s care plan, caring skills, specialty care procedures, and helping the client take prescribed medicine. Ask to see the caregiver’s certificate, then check the name in TESDA’s online Registry of Certified Workers.

A kasambahay who helps with care. If you hire someone to live in or work in the house, you are their employer under the Domestic Workers Act (RA 10361). The Act requires:

• a written contract before work starts, in a language both sides understand, covering duties, pay, hours, rest days and how the job ends (Sec. 11);
• at least 24 consecutive hours of rest each week (Sec. 21);
• at least the minimum wage for domestic workers, which the regional wage boards now set (Sec. 24);
• SSS, PhilHealth and Pag-IBIG cover after one month of service. The employer pays the contributions, and a worker earning PHP 5,000 or more a month pays their own share (Sec. 30).

If you are the employer while you work abroad, someone at home has to keep these up month to month. If a sibling at home runs the household for you, agree in writing who signs as the employer and who pays the contributions.

Paying for care

Public benefits help your parent, but none of them pays a home’s monthly fee.

• Social pension. At least PHP 1,000 a month for indigent senior citizens (RA 11916), paid by the DSWD. Under DSWD Memorandum Circular 022 (2026), a senior who gets regular support from family, “including family members working abroad”, that is enough for basic needs over six months does not count as indigent. A parent you support from abroad may not qualify.
• PhilHealth. Every senior citizen is covered (RA 10645). This helps with hospital bills, not the home’s fee.
• Senior citizen discount. The 20% discount and VAT exemption under RA 9994 stay with your parent whether they live at home or in a care home.

See the social pension guide for who qualifies and how to apply.

See the senior citizen discount guide for what the discount covers.

Read about health cover for seniors for the hospital bills PhilHealth leaves.

If brothers and sisters abroad share the cost, write down who pays what and into which account before your parent moves in.

For the wider picture, see the retirement hub.