Questions, answered

JoyUS matches older adults with companions, called Joy Providers, who share their interests. Visits can be phone calls, video visits, or time together in person: lunch, church, cards, walks, day trips and more. JoyUS is companionship, not medical or personal care.

Older adults can sign up for themselves. Family members can sign up for someone they love and manage everything for them. Anyone 18 or older who passes our checks can apply to be a Joy Provider.

No. You create the account and fill out their Joy Profile. You see every booking, get a joy note after each visit, and they can join video visits from a link you send to their phone or tablet, with no account or password.

The Joy Profile asks about interests, personality, hearing and vision, and whether they prefer phone, video or in-person time. We rank Joy Providers by how much they share, so the best fits show first. You choose who to book.

We're opening area by area so every senior has good matches nearby. Your Joy Profile is saved, and we'll email you the moment companions are available near you.

Every Joy Provider verifies their government ID, passes a background check, completes our elder safety training and quiz, and signs our Code of Conduct before they can be booked.

Joy Providers may never accept money, gifts, loans or a role in a will, and may never handle bank cards or passwords. Messages stay inside JoyUS, and our team is alerted if money, gifts or wills come up.

In an emergency, call 911 first. For anything else, tap Help and message our team. We review every report, can pause a Joy Provider right away, and follow up with you directly.

Yes. The Joy Profile has a place for food, pet and other allergies, how severe they are, and which pets live at home. Only Joy Providers you book see it, along with tips like skipping perfume or checking food labels. We also flag in-person matches where a pet in one home could cause a reaction.

Family sees every booking, gets reminders before visits, receives a joy note after each one, and is alerted if a visit may have been missed.

Phone calls and video visits from anywhere in the country, plus in-person visits with Joy Providers nearby: meals, worship, games, walks, hobbies and outings.

Video visits run right in the web browser. There's nothing to download. Tap Join from the visit page, or send your loved one their own join link. It opens a private room only you, your loved one and the Joy Provider can enter.

Visits can be booked as soon as 2 hours ahead. The Joy Provider confirms the request, and you get a notice the moment they do. If they don't answer in time, the request expires and you're never charged.

Yes. When booking, choose to repeat weekly or every other week. You can cancel a single visit or end the whole series anytime, under the same cancellation policy.

Some Joy Providers offer extras for an added hourly price: transportation to and from an outing, help with errands like the pharmacy or grocery store, and tech help with phones, tablets and video calls with family.

No. Joy Providers are companions, not caregivers. They don't give medication, provide personal or medical care, or make health decisions. For those needs, please use a licensed home care agency.

Each Joy Provider sets an hourly rate between $30.00 and $50.00, depending on the local cost of living. You see the full price before you book. There's no subscription and no sign-up fee.

Booking saves your card. It's charged 24 hours before the visit, or right away for visits booked closer than that, once the Joy Provider confirms.

Payments are handled securely by Stripe. Most major cards and common wallets are accepted. JoyUS never sees or stores your full card number.

The Joy Provider keeps 70% of each visit. The other 30% runs JoyUS: background checks, safety training, support and the platform itself.

Yes. Cancelling is free up to 24 hours before the visit, and unconfirmed requests can always be cancelled for free. Inside 24 hours the visit isn't refundable, because your Joy Provider has held that time for you.

You always get a full refund, no matter how late. Late cancellations and no-shows count as strikes against the Joy Provider, and repeated strikes pause their account.

We'll let you know right away. You have until 12 hours before the visit to update your card, or the visit is cancelled at no charge.

Yes. Mark hearing needs on the Joy Profile and we rank Joy Providers who sign ASL or speak clearly for lip reading higher. Video visits are suggested first, and Joy Providers see tips on how to communicate before the visit.

Mark vision needs on the Joy Profile and we favor Joy Providers trained as sighted guides, comfortable with guide dogs, or able to help with magnifiers and screen readers. Reminders can come as a phone call that reads the visit details aloud.

Yes. Use Larger text and High contrast at the bottom of any page, or in Settings. JoyUS also works with screen readers and your device's own zoom.

English, Spanish, Haitian Creole, Polish, Mandarin, Vietnamese, Arabic, Swahili, German, French and Portuguese. Pick yours at the bottom of any page. Our emails and texts follow the language you choose.

Tap Forgot your password on the sign-in page. We'll email a link that works for 60 minutes. Choosing a new password signs you out on every other device.

Yes. In Settings, add a mobile number and turn on texts for reminders and urgent alerts. You can also turn emails off. Every alert still shows up in the Alerts tab.

We use it only to match, schedule, pay and keep visits safe. We never sell personal information. Joy Providers see only what they need for the visit.

Yes. Go to Settings to download a copy of everything we keep, or to close your account. Closing removes your name and contact details; past visit and payment records are kept without your name, as the law requires.

You choose. After a visit you can leave a star rating with a public comment for other families, a private note only our team reads, or both.

Retirees, students, people between jobs, and anyone who simply loves people. No medical background is needed. What matters is patience, reliability and genuine interest in others.

Create your profile and set your hours and rate, verify your ID, pass a background check, complete our elder safety training and quiz, and connect a payout account. You must be 18 or older.

Yes. The background check costs $35.00 and is paid once when you apply.

You keep 70% of every visit, plus add-ons. Payment is sent to your bank through Stripe once the family's card is charged, and arrives on Stripe's standard payout schedule. If a family cancels late or isn't available when you arrive, you're still paid.

Yes. You set your weekly hours and choose which requests to accept. Declining a request never counts against you. Cancelling a confirmed visit inside 24 hours is a strike.

Not for pay, for 24 months after your last JoyUS visit with them, unless you pay a one-time conversion fee of $2,500.00 to take that client private. You're always free to work anywhere else and with anyone you didn't meet through JoyUS.

No. Joy Providers are independent contractors. You decide when and how much you work, and you're responsible for your own taxes. Stripe sends tax forms when required.