Frequently asked questions

The free 30-minute phone consultation is usually within 1–2 business days. The in-home assessment is typically within a week of the consultation. From signed proposal to working system is usually another 1–2 weeks. So most clients go from first call to working system in 2–3 weeks. If something is urgent — a recent fall, a parent locked out — tell me on the first call and we'll work the schedule.

A few things, in this order:

• Background-checked. I'll show you the report on request.
• Bonded and insured. General liability, errors and omissions, cyber liability, and a $10,000 service bond. Certificates available as a PDF.
• CAPS-certified. The National Association of Home Builders' Aging in Place credential — view the certificate (PDF).
• Forty years in technology. Most recently Director of Developer Relations at PayPal. References available.
• Local. Based in Fairview. I'm twenty minutes from your parent's house.

If trust still doesn't feel built, the right move is to start with a one-hour hourly visit ($75) before committing to a package. You meet me, watch me work for an hour, and decide.

It happens, and we plan for it. The in-home assessment is partly a "does this senior actually want voice technology in their life" check. If the answer is no, we don't install Alexa. There are smart-home options that don't require voice — keypads, motion sensors, automatic lights — and there are families that benefit from doorbell cameras and smart locks alone.

I'd rather walk away from a job than install a voice assistant in a home where the senior is not on board.

Honest answer: a regular indoor camera is not a fall detector. Cameras let you check in if you want to. They don't watch on their own and they don't call for help.

If fall detection is the goal, the right tools are different:

• Apple Watch SE with Fall Detection — best balance of cost, comfort, and reliability
• Amazon Alexa Together — uses Echo devices to detect "no motion" patterns and notify family
• Stand-alone medical alert — Lively, GreatCall, or similar pendant-and-base systems

The Aging in Place Complete package includes setting up whichever option the family chooses. We don't sell the device; we install and configure what fits.

Stored in an encrypted password vault for the duration of the engagement. Deleted within 30 days of project completion. If you sign up for the Always On monthly plan, credentials remain only as long as the plan is active and are deleted within 30 days of cancellation.

We never sell, share, or transfer your information to anyone. You can ask for a copy or for it to be deleted at any time. The full data-handling policy is in the Service Agreement.

Within 30 days of install: I come back at no charge and fix it.

After 30 days: hardware is covered by the manufacturer's warranty. I'll handle the warranty claim with you and reinstall the replacement at no charge if you're on Always On, or for one hour of labor if not.

If a device fails because of a Wi-Fi problem, a power cut, or an account change you made, that's not under the workmanship warranty — but the hourly rate gets it fixed quickly.

Not directly. We're a residential technology service, not a medical provider, so we don't bill insurance.

Some long-term care policies and Veterans Affairs Aid and Attendance benefits do reimburse for aging-in-place technology. Whether yours does depends on your specific policy. If you'd like, I can provide an itemized invoice with the language commonly required by these programs ("aging-in-place modification," "medical alert system installation"), and you submit it for reimbursement.

For Medicare, the answer is generally no — Medicare doesn't cover home modifications or smart-home technology.

Both. Every package includes patient training. Hello, Alexa includes one hour. Safe and Connected includes two hours across two visits. Aging in Place Complete includes four hours across two or three visits.

I repeat things as many times as needed. I leave a printed "how to" sheet for the things they'll do most often.

If the senior wants more training after the package window, we can extend on the hourly rate or with the Always On plan.

We pause and have a family conversation before I install anything. I will not install cameras over the objection of any decision-maker, and I will not be the person who relays a sibling's request to the senior without all parties agreeing.

The simplest way to handle this is a 30-minute family call before the install date. I'll join if it's useful. The point is that the senior knows who can see what, and everyone in the family is on the same page about it.

This comes up regularly and the answer matters. I am not a clinician. I do not diagnose anything.

If, in my judgment, the senior cannot meaningfully consent to what's being installed, I pause and ask for the family member with documented authority — power of attorney or guardianship — to confirm in writing before proceeding. This isn't a hurdle; it's a protection for the senior.

The technology choices also change with cognitive issues. Voice routines may need to be simpler. Alarms and reminders may need to be louder. Some devices are wonderful for someone with mild memory issues and counterproductive for someone with more advanced changes. We'll talk through it on the assessment.

Never. No exceptions. If a family member asks, the answer is still no. Bedrooms and bathrooms are off-limits to cameras and microphones, regardless of who is paying.

This is a written rule in our Service Agreement, not a guideline.

Yes.

• Phone consultation: free, cancel any time.
• In-home assessment ($99): non-refundable once the visit happens, but credited toward any package booked within 30 days.
• Package, before install: full refund of deposit if cancelled in writing 5+ days before the scheduled install. Inside 5 days, deposit is credited to a different service.
• Package, after install: completed work is not refundable. Workmanship warranty covers issues for 30 days at no cost.
• Always On monthly: cancel any time, effective at the next billing date.

I'm based in Fairview. Service area:

• No trip fee: within 20 miles of Fairview. Covers Allen, Lucas, Plano, McKinney, Frisco, Wylie, Murphy, Sachse, Lavon, Princeton, and parts of Dallas.
• $30 trip fee: 20–35 miles, including most of Dallas, Garland, Richardson, Carrollton, The Colony, Prosper.
• By special arrangement: beyond 35 miles.

A few specific things:

• Trained for this client population. The CAPS credential covers the home and the daily life of someone aging at home. Generic IT shops don't have it.
• Patient. I plan for the install to take longer than the technical work would take alone, because the training is the point.
• Pricing posted. No hidden fees, no quotes that grow.
• Boundaries written down. The "what I don't do" list is on every quote and the Service Agreement. Most IT shops don't put that on paper.
• Personal and attentive. A family business, not a call-center rotation. You work with me directly, and you get the same person every visit.

That said, if your parent just needs a printer set up, Geek Squad will probably do it cheaper. SRIT is for the situations where the senior matters more than the device.

For the Hello, Alexa package, yes — the scope is small enough that we can confirm fit on the phone consultation alone. For Safe and Connected and Aging in Place Complete, no — those packages depend on the home, the internet, and the senior's specific situation enough that the $99 assessment pays for itself in a more accurate proposal. The $99 credits back if you book.

Square or Wave invoice, payable by debit, credit, or ACH. Cash and check accepted with a 7-day clearing period before service is scheduled. Payment terms vary by service:

• Hourly visits: invoiced at completion, due within 7 days.
• Packages: 50% to schedule the install, 50% on completion.
• Always On: monthly autopay on the same day each month.