Tech Help for Seniors FAQ: 15 Questions Answered (2026)

I come directly to the home, sit down at the kitchen table, and we work through whatever is frustrating, at whatever pace feels comfortable. No rushing, no confusing jargon, and no making anyone feel silly for asking. Big-box retail counters charge $150 to $200 just for rushed in-store diagnostics. We provide patient in-home support with transparent pricing: Tier 1: Tech Rescue & Device Setup ($165) – Up to 90 minutes of dedicated in-home help, remote consolidation, text enlargement, scam blocking, and a custom laminated cheat sheet. Tier 2: Peace of Mind Retainer ($99/mo) – Monthly 60-minute in-home tune-up, remote screen-share assist, automated backup checks, and priority booking with zero contracts. * Tier 3: VIP Family Tech Concierge ($380/quarter) – Quarterly 2-hour deep checkups ($126/mo effective), 24-hour emergency priority dispatch, and direct messaging support.

Completely normal, and you are in good company. Most of my clients are sharp people who simply never had a reason to learn this stuff at work. There is nothing embarrassing about it. My whole job is explaining technology the way I would explain it to my own family: slowly, clearly, and as many times as it takes.

Sometimes, for something simple like a forgotten password. But honestly, most problems are faster in person. I can see the screen, you can watch what I do, and you learn it better by doing it together. That is why I do house calls instead of a call center.

Here is the rule that covers almost everything: if you did not ask for help, do not trust the helper. Real tech companies never call you out of the blue to say your computer has a virus. Your bank never texts you a link to "verify" your account. Anyone creating urgency, demanding gift cards, or asking for remote access to your computer is running a scam. When in doubt: hang up, close it, and call the company yourself using a number you already trust.

Do not panic, and do not feel foolish. It happens to smart people every day. First, do not enter any more information. Second, call someone you trust, a family member or me, before doing anything else. In most cases we can check whether anything actually happened and clean it up. The worst outcome comes from trying to fix it alone while flustered.

The system I set up for everyone: one strong password for your email, because email unlocks everything else, and a password manager or a written list in a safe place for the rest. Never reuse the important one. And never, ever give a password or a verification code to someone who called you. No legitimate company asks for those.

Online banking itself is safe when done right. The risk is almost always the fake version: a scam text or email that looks like your bank and leads to a fake login page. I set up banking bookmarks that go straight to the real site, turn on every alert the bank offers, and show you exactly what a real message from your bank looks like versus a fake one. After that, most people bank online with confidence.

Yes, and it is one of the first things I do on almost every visit. Phones hide text-size controls in the settings, and once we turn them up, everything from messages to email becomes dramatically easier to read. We also adjust brightness, button shapes, and anything else that makes the screen friendlier. It takes ten minutes and changes daily life.

Happily, and it is one of my favorite jobs. We pick one app the whole family agrees on, set it up with big obvious buttons, do a test call together, and I leave a one-page cheat sheet by the phone. The goal is that the next call happens without anyone's help. Grandkids are excellent motivation and surprisingly patient tech support.

Usually it is photos and videos, years of them, plus apps that quietly grew. I back up the photos properly first, so nothing precious is lost, then clear what is safe to clear and show you how to keep it tidy. We also turn on the setting that keeps full-resolution photos in the cloud and smaller versions on the phone. It is routine maintenance, like changing the oil.

Yes. We pick the photos together on the big screen where you can actually see them, and I handle the ordering from a service that mails real prints. For albums, we keep it simple: favorites only, in order, with names and dates if you like. People are always surprised how good their phone photos look on paper.

Because email companies redesign things without asking anyone. When buttons move or the layout changes, I walk through the new version once and it clicks. I also set up the important stuff properly: spam filters that actually filter, contacts for the people who matter, and a trash routine so the inbox stays manageable.

Yes, and about half my clients start exactly this way. Adult children frequently book our $165 Tech Rescue session or enroll their parents in our $99/month Peace of Mind retainer so their loved ones have ongoing, dignified support without having to bother family for every small glitch.

Tell me what your parent struggles with and I will tailor the visit. One request: let them know I am coming and why, in a kind way. "Someone is coming to make your phone and TV easier" lands much better than a surprise tutor at the door.

Call or text (812) 648-0126. Tell me who needs help and what is not working, and we will set up a visit. Serving Terre Haute and the Wabash Valley, one kitchen table at a time.