Frequently Asked Questions

Find answers to common questions about Sahyog Time Bank, membership, volunteer support, time banking, and elderly care.

General Questions

What is Sahyog Time Bank?

Sahyog Time Bank is a community initiative dedicated exclusively to elderly care, companionship, and time-based support. Our basic philosophy is simple: We may not be able to solve every problem, but we can give our time, presence, respect, and companionship.

Yes. Sahyog Time Bank is specifically focused on elderly care and companionship. It is not a skill-sharing platform and does not operate as a marketplace for professional or personal skills.

  • At-home companionship
  • Doctor consultations
  • Dentist appointments
  • Physiotherapy
  • Temple visits
  • Park walks
  • Optician visits
  • Diagnostic/laboratory tests
  • Collecting prescribed medicines
  • Hospital companionship

 

 

No. Sahyog Time Bank does not provide medical treatment, medical diagnosis, nursing services, professional medical care, or medical advice. Our volunteers provide companionship and non-medical support. A Sahyog volunteer is not a substitute for a doctor, nurse, or trained medical professional.

No. Sahyog does not provide or purchase medicines for members. However, where appropriate, a volunteer may accompany a member to collect doctor-prescribed medicines.

No. Sahyog Time Bank does not provide groceries, ration, food supplies, or household items as part of its elderly-care services.

No. Sahyog Time Bank does not provide monetary or financial assistance to individual members. Our focus is: Time • Companionship • Care • Respect

No. Sahyog does not provide, purchase, rent, or guarantee medical equipment for members.

Membership

Who can become a member?

Any eligible Indian citizen aged 18 years or above may apply for membership, subject to Sahyog Time Bank’s registration and approval process.
Members are expected to respect the organization’s values, rules, safety guidelines, and Code of Conduct.

You can register in either of two ways:

Online
Complete the membership registration form through the Sahyog Time Bank website.

Offline
Obtain and complete the Sahyog membership form and submit it through the designated process.

Yes. Sahyog Time Bank does not charge a membership fee.

There is:

  • No registration fee
  • No annual membership fee
  • No service charge

No. Donation is not a condition of membership and no member is required to make a donation to receive eligible Sahyog services.

Yes. Sahyog may accept voluntary donations or contributions in cash or required resources for purposes such as administration, technology and website, volunteer coordination, training and orientation, communication, awareness activities, and organizational operations.

Such donations are for running the organization and are not payment for membership or individual services

Time Banking

What is a Time Bank?

A Time Bank is a community system in which people contribute their time to help others rather than exchanging money.

At Sahyog:

1 hour of eligible service = 1 Time Credit

The credit represents the time contributed to the community.

No.

A Time Credit has no monetary value.

It:

  • Cannot be exchanged for cash
  • Cannot be sold
  • Cannot be purchased
  • Is not a salary
  • Is not an investment
  • Is not a financial benefit

It is simply a record of eligible time contributed through Sahyog.

Sahyog encourages members to contribute their time to the community whenever they are able.

 

However, the ability to receive support is governed by the organization’s membership and service rules, and a member’s ability to provide service is not necessarily the same as their ability to request support.

Help Requests

Who can request help?

A registered Sahyog member may submit an eligible help request through the prescribed process.

Where appropriate, a family member or authorized person may assist the member in communicating the request.

Submit a help request through the Sahyog Time Bank portal or the designated communication channel.

The request should include information such as:

  • Member details
  • Type of assistance required
  • Date
  • Time
  • Location
  • Expected duration
  • Any relevant information needed for coordination.

No. Sahyog Time Bank does not guarantee that every help request will be fulfilled, either fully or partially.

Availability depends on factors such as suitable volunteer availability, nature of the request, date and time, location, duration, safety considerations, hospital/institutional rules, and other operational circumstances.

Every request is an opportunity to try to help—not a guarantee of service.

No. Sahyog is not an emergency medical service. In an emergency, members should immediately contact the appropriate emergency services, hospital, doctor, or other qualified professional.

Yes, an eligible member may request at-home companionship, subject to volunteer availability, nature of the request, safety considerations, and Sahyog’s service guidelines.

Yes. Subject to volunteer availability, a Sahyog volunteer may accompany an elderly member for a doctor consultation.

The volunteer’s role is to accompany and support, not to provide medical advice.

Yes. Subject to availability and suitability of the request, volunteers may accompany elderly members for activities such as temple visits or walks in a park.

Yes. Where appropriate and subject to volunteer availability, a volunteer may accompany a member to a diagnostic/laboratory appointment.

Yes. A volunteer may accompany a member to collect prescribed medicines.

Sahyog itself does not provide or pay for the medicines.