Companion service
Technology help
Phones, video calls, and online services, explained patiently.
Technology help is patient, in-person help with phones, tablets, the TV, video calls, and the online services everyday life now runs on. A companion sits beside the person, shows them how, and lets them do it themselves, as many times as it takes. It is non-medical, everyday support, from someone you choose, in the language the person thinks in.
What a visit looks like
A new phone set up so the text is big enough to read. The first video call to a grandchild overseas, and then the second one without help. A step-by-step list written out by hand, in the person's own language, for the next time. An online grocery order, a library app, a bus timetable, a photo sent to the family chat.
The companion does not take the device away and fix it. They sit beside the person, go at their pace, and hand it back. The point is that next week the person can do it on their own.
What a companion does
- Setting up a new phone or tablet: larger text, louder ringer, the apps the person wants
- Using the TV and its remote: channels, volume, subtitles, and streaming apps
- Connecting a phone, tablet, or TV to the Wi-Fi the home already has
- Learning video calls, messages, and photo sharing with family and friends
- Using everyday online services: library, transit, online grocery orders, appointment reminders
- Writing simple step-by-step notes, in the person's language, to keep beside the device
- Recognising a message or call that looks like a scam, and checking with the family before doing anything
- Keeping devices charged, updated, and tidy, so they keep working between visits
- Practising the same task again, and again, until it feels easy
What a companion does not do
- Knowing, writing down, or keeping the person's passwords or PINs. The person types their own, and resets their own with the companion's help
- Online banking, payments, or purchases made on the person's behalf
- Accepting terms, filling in applications, or signing anything online for the person
- Installing tracking or monitoring apps without the person's clear agreement
- Reading or explaining health records, test results, or anything in a patient portal
- Setting up a router, internet service, or home network, or repairing hardware or wiring. For that, call the internet provider or a technician
Saheli is non-medical. Companions do not replace family, nurses, doctors, or personal support workers. They add something different: human presence.
On every visit, whatever the service, a companion does not provide:
- Counselling or therapy
- Advice about health, treatment, diet, legal matters, or money
- Lifting or transferring someone who cannot bear their own weight
- Handling money or signing documents
- Nursing or medical care, including injections, wound care, or monitoring a health condition
- Administering medication. A companion does not give, measure, sort, or apply it, or decide anything about it. Reminders for a plan already set are fine
- Anything that needs a regulated health professional
For anything medical, speak to a doctor, nurse, or pharmacist. In an emergency, call 911.
Who this is for
People who want to do more with the devices they have, and families who would like them to stay in touch more easily.
At home
Someone with a new phone and no one to show them
The phone arrived as a gift, and it sits in the drawer. A companion sets it up the way the person likes it and teaches the three things they actually want to do.
Staying in touch
Someone whose family lives far away
Grandchildren in another city, a sister in another country. A companion makes the video call work, then makes it easy, so the calls happen between visits too.
For a younger person
A young person getting to grips with a new device
A first phone, a school tablet, the apps a family uses to stay in touch. A companion practises alongside them, patiently and without taking over. A parent or guardian arranges it, sets the rules for the device, and stays responsible for their care.
Living with a disability
Someone who needs their device to work their way
Bigger text, a louder ringer, voice typing, a screen that reads aloud. A companion helps find and switch on the settings built into the device, and practises until they feel natural.
Finding their place
Someone new to the country
A new phone number, transit apps, the online services every newcomer is told to use. A companion who speaks the person's language shows them how, so they can find their way on their own.
Staying safe
Someone worried about scams
The text about a parcel, the call from the bank that is not the bank. A companion helps the person recognise the signs and check with family first, so the worry does not stop them using their phone at all.
For families and caregivers
A family tired of fixing it over the phone
You love them, and you cannot explain the settings menu again from two hours away. A companion you choose sits beside them in person, and they learn it properly.
How it works
- 01
Browse companions
Use the filters to find people who fit your language, community, and needs.
- 02
Choose who feels right
Review companions and decide who you want to meet. Nobody gets assigned to you.
- 03
Agree on the details
You and the companion set the visits, tasks, and hourly rate before care starts.
Companions who offer this
Each companion sets their own hourly rate, and you see it before you book.
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Questions
Will the companion need my passwords?
No. The person types their own passwords and PINs, and a companion never writes them down or keeps them. If a password is forgotten, the companion helps the person reset it themselves.
Can the companion pay bills or shop online for me?
No. A companion can show the person how to order groceries online or use a service, but the person, or their family, makes every payment. A companion never handles the person's money, cards, or banking.
Can a companion fix a broken device or the internet?
They can help with settings, updates, and getting a device working again the usual ways, such as a restart, and they can connect a device to the Wi-Fi the home already has. They do not set up routers or internet service, repair hardware, or rewire anything. For that, call the internet provider or a technician.
Can a companion help with online forms and government services?
They can show the person where to find a service and how the website works. The person fills in and submits any application themselves. A companion does not sign, accept, or submit anything on the person's behalf.
What if the person forgets between visits?
That is normal, and it is why the companion goes slowly and repeats. Many companions write out a simple list of steps, in the person's own language, to keep beside the device.
What does technology help cost?
Each companion sets their own hourly rate for technology help, shown on their profile before you book. Saheli adds a service fee as its own line before checkout, and the companion keeps their full rate. The family pays for any device, app, or service itself.
Find care that feels like family
Browse vetted companions, matched on language and the traditions that already feel like home.