Real accounts from Kota Kinabalu households
We let families speak in their own words — what worked, what surprised them, and what they would tell another family considering Kirana.
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Suraya Rahman
Kota Kinabalu, Sabah
"My mother is in her early eighties and was spending a lot of afternoons alone. Since Kirana started sending Farah for visits twice a week, she has something to look forward to. She always mentions the visits when I call. The written notes after each one are short and honest — exactly what I want to know, nothing more."
Companionship Visit Coordination · April 2025
David Teo
Penampang, Sabah
"We have three siblings spread across KL, Sabah, and Singapore, all trying to look after our father from different places. The coordination plan Kirana put together gave us one document we could all refer to. It took about two weeks to feel settled, but after that it ran smoothly. The resource list was genuinely useful."
Family Coordination Service · March 2025
Noraini Mahmud
Luyang, Kota Kinabalu
"My father refused to touch the tablet we bought him. Daniel came over, spent about ninety minutes going through it with him, and left a guide with big text taped to the wall beside it. Two weeks later my father was calling his grandchildren on his own. I would not have believed it if I hadn't seen it."
Technology Connection Help · April 2025
James Awang
Api Api, Kota Belud
"What I appreciated most was that the companion — the same person each time — actually listened. My mother is particular about how her day runs, and Kirana matched her with someone who understood that from the first visit. Small thing, but it matters a lot."
Companionship Visit Coordination · May 2025
Rebecca Lim
Tanjung Aru, Sabah
"I asked a lot of questions before we started. Liyana was patient with all of them and didn't rush us into anything. The arrangement itself has been running since February and we've only needed to adjust the schedule once, which they handled without fuss. My main feedback was that the first check-in call took a little long — but the content was useful."
Family Coordination Service · February 2025
Khairul Hisham
Likas, Kota Kinabalu
"We had tried to show my grandmother how to use WhatsApp three times ourselves. Each time she got confused at a different step and lost confidence. The Kirana session was different — they broke it down into small pieces and didn't move forward until she was comfortable. She has been sending photos to the family group ever since."
Technology Connection Help · May 2025
A closer look at three household arrangements
Challenge
A retired teacher in her late seventies living alone in Kota Kinabalu. Her daughter worked long hours and worried about the quiet, unstructured weekday afternoons that had become harder for her mother to fill independently.
Arrangement
Companionship visits three times a week, matched to a companion who shared her interest in local history and enjoyed reading aloud. Schedule set around the times she was most alert — mid-morning rather than afternoon.
Outcome
After 8 weeks, the daughter reported that her mother was mentioning specific details of visits and had started preparing topics she wanted to discuss. The arrangement has been running for six months without changes to the schedule.
"She told me last week she had been thinking about a question to ask Farah all morning. That is not something she has said about anything in a long time."
Challenge
A family with four adult children in three different cities, all sharing responsibility for their father in Kota Kinabalu. Information was being passed through informal messages, leading to misunderstandings and duplicated efforts.
Arrangement
Family Coordination service, starting with an initial session involving all four siblings on a group call. Kirana produced a written support plan and shared timeline accessible to everyone, plus a list of trusted local contacts in Sabah.
Outcome
Family reported an 80% reduction in coordination messages within a month. The shared timeline became the household's single reference point. Three months in, they added a companion visit arrangement as well.
"We stopped having the same argument about who had called dad last. The plan just removed that whole dynamic."
Challenge
An older gentleman in his mid-eighties with grandchildren in Kuala Lumpur and in the UK. The family wanted to maintain regular video contact but previous attempts had ended in frustration for everyone.
Arrangement
Technology Connection Help package. Device set up at the kitchen table where he was most comfortable. Three practice sessions over two weeks, each no longer than 40 minutes. Large-print guide attached to the refrigerator.
Outcome
Within three weeks he was initiating calls himself. The family in the UK now has a standing call every Sunday. A refresher visit was used after four months when he got a new phone, and that took one session.
"He has not missed a Sunday call in three months. We did not think that was possible this time last year."
We are available during office hours
Address
No. 73, Jalan Gaya
Kota Kinabalu, Sabah
Office Hours
Mon–Fri: 8:30–17:30
Sat: 9:00–13:00
Professional standing
Community Partners Network
Recognised partner of Kota Kinabalu community support initiatives since 2021.
Sabah Family Wellbeing Award 2023
Awarded for contribution to family coordination services across Sabah.
Voluntary Household Support Network
Active member of Malaysia's household support practitioner network since 2020.
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