Patient, judgment-free tech help for our neighbors.

You'll learn: how to turn the phone on/off, adjust volume and brightness, make a call, send a text, take a photo, and charge safely.

1. Find the power button, usually on the right or top edge. Press once to wake the screen; press and hold about 2 seconds to turn the phone fully off.
2. Use the side buttons to raise or lower volume. For brightness, swipe down from the top-right corner on an iPad or iPhone; on Android, swipe down from the top (you may need to swipe twice).
3. To call someone on an iPhone or Android phone: open the green Phone icon, tap a contact's name, then tap the call button. An iPad has no Phone icon — use FaceTime instead (sign in with your Apple Account first). Many Android tablets can't make cellular calls either.
4. To text someone: open Messages (on Android, your messaging app, such as Google Messages), start a new chat, choose a contact, type your message, and tap Send. An iPad or tablet may need a linked phone to send regular texts.
5. To take a photo: open the Camera icon and tap the large round button on screen. Find the photo afterward in Photos (Gallery on some Android phones).
6. Charge the phone every night using the cable it came with, plugged into a wall outlet rather than a TV's USB port, so it's ready by morning.

You'll learn: reading and sending email, recognizing a suspicious attachment, and joining a Zoom call from a link.

1. Sign in to your email with the same address and password every time. Write the password down and keep it somewhere safe at home.
2. To read a message, tap it once. To reply, tap "Reply," type below the original message, and tap "Send." Reply only to people you know.
3. Before you tap a link or attachment, read the full sender address — not just the name. Never open anything from someone you don't recognize, even if the subject line sounds urgent.
4. For a Zoom call, a family member or clinic will send a link like zoom.us/j/123456789. Tap it a few minutes before the appointment. Or open the Zoom Workplace app, choose Join, and type the meeting ID and passcode if asked.
5. When your phone asks to allow Zoom, its camera, or its microphone, tap "Open" or "Allow," then tap "Join with Video" and "Join with Audio."
6. During the call, tap the screen to show the Mute and Start/Stop Video buttons, then tap them any time to mute yourself or turn your camera on and off.

You'll learn: logging into your clinic's portal, reading results and messages, requesting a refill, and booking a visit.

1. Ask your clinic for its official app or portal address — it is often on your printed after-visit summary, along with an activation code. Install the app from the App Store or Google Play, or type the address yourself. A volunteer can help the first time.
2. Bookmark the portal's website or add its app icon to your home screen so you never have to search for it again.
3. Choose your health organization and sign in yourself. If you forget your login, use the clinic's password-recovery option — and never share your password with anyone who calls asking for it.
4. Look for "Messages" (notes from your doctor) and "Test Results" (recent labs). Menu names vary by clinic.
5. Tap "Visits" or "Appointments" to see upcoming visits or request a new one.
6. To request a refill, find "Medications," tap the prescription, and tap "Request Refill."
7. Portal messages are for non-urgent questions. In an emergency, call 911.

You'll learn: the warning signs of a scam, and exactly what to do when something feels off.

1. Slow down. A real bank, agency, or family member always gives you time to think — scammers create fake urgency on purpose.
2. Hang up and call back using a number you look up yourself, never the number a caller gives you or a number from an unexpected text.
3. No legitimate business, court, or government office will ever ask for payment in gift cards, cryptocurrency, or a wire transfer. If someone asks, it's a scam — every time.
4. If a caller claims to be a grandchild in trouble, ask a question only the real person would know, and confirm with another family member before sending any money.
5. Never give your Social Security number, Medicare number, bank PIN, or a one-time login code to anyone who contacted you first.
6. Never let a stranger take remote control of your phone or tablet, even to "fix" a problem.
7. When unsure, ask a volunteer or family member, or call the clinic's help line before you respond, click, or pay anything.
8. Save your bank's verified phone number in Contacts now. If you already paid or shared a code, call your bank right away using that number.

You'll learn: setting up emergency contacts on your phone, and building a free Smart911 safety profile.

1. On an iPhone: open Health → your profile picture → Medical ID → Edit → add Emergency Contacts. On Android: open Safety (or Settings → Safety & emergency) → Your info → Emergency contacts → Add contact. On an iPad or tablet without these, save two emergency contacts in the Contacts app.
2. Add at least two people in the order they should be called, noting their relationship to you (for example, "Daughter — Sarah").
3. Smart911 is a free service that, in participating areas, shows 911 dispatchers your address, medical conditions, medications, and emergency contacts the moment you call — it does not track you otherwise.
4. Go to smart911.com and check whether your area's 911 center takes part — a profile is shown only at participating centers. If it does, create a free Safety Profile with your address, medical conditions, medications, and an optional photo, then verify your phone number and review the privacy choices.
5. Update your Smart911 profile whenever your medications or contacts change — a volunteer can help with this in about ten minutes.
6. Don't rely on a tablet alone for emergency calls — many can't call 911 by themselves. Keep a phone nearby, and never call 911 just to test.

You'll learn: installing real software updates, choosing a strong password, and turning on extra login protection.

1. Real updates come only from your phone's own Settings app — never from a pop-up on a website warning that your phone is "infected."
2. On iPhone or iPad: Settings → General → Software Update. On Android: Settings → System → Software updates (on Samsung and some other brands, search Settings for "Software update"). Connect to Wi-Fi and power, and let it finish before turning the device off.
3. Use a different password for important accounts. A passphrase of 3–4 random words, like "PurpleGarden7Bicycle," is strong and easy to remember.
4. Write passwords in one notebook kept somewhere safe at home, or let your device's password manager save them (the Passwords app on iPhone and iPad, Google Password Manager on Android). Never share them by text or email.
5. Turn on a passkey or two-step verification wherever it's offered; it adds a second check, such as a code sent to your phone. A volunteer can set this up with you once.
6. Never read a login code aloud to someone who calls asking for it, even if they claim to be from your bank or Medicare.

You'll learn: joining a video doctor's visit, and requesting a ride through an easy-to-use transportation service.

1. Use the appointment details in your clinic's official portal, or a message you've confirmed is really from the clinic. Telehealth visits work much like Zoom — you'll get a link 10–15 minutes before the appointment. If a link seems odd, call your clinic first.
2. Find a quiet, well-lit spot, prop up your phone or tablet, and test your camera and microphone. At the scheduled time, tap the link or open the clinic's app, and tap "Allow" if it asks to use your camera and microphone.
3. For rides, services like GoGoGrandparent let you request an Uber or Lyft with a phone call — no smartphone or app needed. Ask a volunteer to save this number in your contacts.
4. To use Uber or Lyft directly: open the app, tap "Where to?", type your destination, and check the price and pickup place before you confirm.
5. When the car arrives, compare the license plate, car, and driver in the app with the real car before you get in. The app shows the driver's name, photo, and car.
6. Many towns also run a community or paratransit van service — ask a volunteer to help you find and save New Providence's local transportation number.