Frequently Asked Questions

You choose the activity (a walk at Assiniboine Park, a trip to the doctor, coffee and a chat, company at home…), pick the day, time and length, tell us the details that matter, and choose from the accredited companions who can do what you asked. On confirming you get a reference code, and your companion answers the invitation. Everything lives in your dashboard: the status of the visit, rescheduling, cancelling, and the review afterwards.

No. GenBuddies is companionship: conversation, a walk, support at appointments, cooking together, games, music and help with a phone. Companions do not give injections, do not give or manage medication, and do not do wound care, bathing, incontinence care or physiotherapy. For health care at home the answer is home care or nursing — and our team can point you in the right direction if you ask.

Five requirements, all mandatory and all checked one at a time by a person on our team: government photo identification; a second piece of ID, checked against the first; a Criminal Record Check including a Vulnerable Sector Check; current proof of a Manitoba address; and two references, each spoken to by phone. Only then does a profile go live. The details are on our Safety page.

Yes — and that is how most bookings happen: it is a daughter, a son, a granddaughter or a grandson who books. You create the account in your own name, give the address for the visit, and write a note about what the person likes and how their day goes (for example: “Mum has her tea at four and loves the old songs”). Your companion reads that note before accepting. Add an emergency contact to your profile as well.

You pay by the hour of company, with the amount on screen before you confirm: the hours multiplied by the rate, plus the 15% service fee. There is no membership fee, no sign-up charge and no lock-in. No companion asks for cash, a card or a tap terminal on the day of the visit. We are finishing the platform payment integration — until then, our team settles it with you on (204) 555-0100.

No. Money is arranged inside GenBuddies, and paying outside it removes the protection from both sides: with no record there is no reference code, no receipt, and no way for the platform to step in if something goes wrong. If anyone asks you to pay them directly, please tell us on (204) 555-0100.

From your dashboard, under “My Bookings”, every visit has a Reschedule and a Cancel button — no need to speak to anyone, and no charge. On rescheduling, the visit goes back to “pending confirmation” and your companion confirms the new time. Inside 24 hours the screen asks you to reschedule rather than cancel: they have already set that time aside.

Call our team on (204) 555-0100 — a person answers, not a bot. Every booking has a reference code, so just give us the number. Families register an emergency contact on their profile, called if needed, and the companion's phone number appears in your dashboard as soon as they confirm the visit. In a health or safety emergency, call 911 first; we will deal with everything else with you afterwards.

Start at Become a Companion. You need to be 18 or older and live in Manitoba — it is open to anyone, of any gender. Once your account is created, accreditation has eight steps: your photo, your details, your introduction, your skills, four documents, two references, your schedule, and a review. You can stop partway and come back — it is all saved. You will hear back within 3 business days.

The hourly rate is set by GenBuddies — a companion does not choose their own price. The standard rate is $25 / hour and may vary with experience, specialisation and area. What they are paid is the full value of the hours worked: the 15% service fee is added to what the family pays, never deducted from the companion. On a 2-hour visit, for example, the family pays $57.50 and the companion receives $50.00.