$50 an hour: a guy came up with a way to make money by helping the elderly (2 photos)

In the United States, 27-year-old Eric Boquist helps seniors learn how to use modern technology. He charges $50 for an hour of individual lessons. According to the guy, seniors learn with enthusiasm and quickly learn how to use computers, search engines, and email.





Journalists say that Eric Boquist lives in Sutton, New Hampshire, and travels around the United States and the world. He works as a nanny with his girlfriend, edits videos, and also earns extra money by giving computer lessons to "baby boomers."

He says he got the idea after helping his parents learn how to use email, the internet, and watch YouTube videos. Then his mother told Eric that he "should do this for everyone" in the community.

He says he wants to help older people realize that they should be able to use technology on their own, with their own hands. He notes that older people can use computers and the internet just as well as younger people.

"I don't want the voices of older people to be lost, the wisdom to be lost. I want them to speak up," Boqvist says.

He's been teaching classes for older people for about six months. In addition to his parents, one of the first people he helped was a neighbor. She complained that she couldn't listen to her favorite audiobooks because her phone's battery was running low. Boqvist looked through reviews of battery replacement kits on marketplaces with the woman and recommended the best seller.



"She said, 'Oh, that's so great to know. Thank you so much. Let me pay you for it.' I said no because it was such a great lesson for me. It was the beginning of a realization of, 'Wow, that took me about 15 minutes.' Then I shared it with her in about 60 seconds and it seemed to really impact her," Eric says.

He's currently digitizing the journals of another elderly woman's deceased brother.

"We are also thinking about using AI to create an audio recording. It will be the best memory of her brother's life and experiences, because they are fascinating stories and his voice is so interesting. After digitization, she can even play with the lyrics and create songs from the diary entries using AI," Eric explains.

He notes that his "business" demystifies technology in the eyes of older people and gives them more knowledge, and at the same time is a great additional income. Over the past three months, he has had three regular clients, with each of whom he has conducted lessons for one hour. In total, it comes to between four and 12 hours a week.

"My fee is $50 an hour, and I hesitate to increase it. People pay well for this. Those who called were so enthusiastic! They said: "Oh my God, I wish someone had done this sooner," says Boqvist.