Beating loneliness by bridging the generation gap

"Joe is my saviour," says Janice Roscoe, as she plays cards with her paid student companion Joe Skaptason. "When you're old it's very hard to find friends."

At 88, Janice is among a growing number of older adults seeking connection rather than care, building relationships with younger people for friendship and support.

Janice and Joe were matched by a new business in Sussex called Aibō - one of a rising tide of intergenerational ventures tackling loneliness and rising living costs.

An estimated 3.1m people in England feeling chronic loneliness, according to government figures, with other organisations pairing older homeowners with young renters.

Janice's husband Adrian has dementia and she lives alone.

She said: "He's living in a care home and only his body is there. But he still recognises me and this definitely is the worst bit of life that I've had to deal with."

She said Joe's weekly visits really cheer her up.

"We play cards, we sometimes have a cup of coffee by the sea, and we talk about our lives and our families," she said.

Her companion Joe, 21, visits her on weekends. "It doesn't feel like work. It's just like I'm just going out and having a bit of fun," he said.

Joe also helps Janice - a retired nurse and social worker - with television, wifi and hearing aid issues.

He added he has learned a lot from Janice's life experiences too: "I've heard so much about all the countries she's lived in, all the people she's met. It's just brilliant."

Solène Declas, from Arundel, was inspired to create Aibō - which means "buddy" in Japanese - after helping her grandparents.

She was surprised by how grateful they were and said: "It's just tiny little things that we do, things that probably would make a big difference to someone on their own."

Clients pay an hourly rate for the service, students are vetted and people matched by their interests.

Students do not do anything a professional carer might do.

Solène said: "So many older people are just sat there in their house or in a home with so much knowledge and wisdom that they could be passing on and also learning from the younger generation about how it is now."

Her grandfather, Joe Riley, said it was a "nice intergenerational match-up".

Solène pointed out that young people can feel lonely too, so a connection with an older person also benefits their wellbeing.

Another growing phenomenon takes intergenerational living a step further - with older homeowners inviting younger people in need of affordable housing to live with them in exchange for companionship and help with chores.

In the village of Nunton near Salisbury, Harry Joynt and Tracy White have "home shared" for 10 months.

When Harry's wife Julia passed away, he struggled living alone, despite regular family visits and carers popping in.

Harry said: "I'm beginning to lose my memory, I'm going slower and I was a bit lonely to be frank."

Harry's daughter, Anna Joynt, said: "I was worried because after mum died he was very, very low and so I wanted someone to be here to keep him company, but also allow him to be independent."

She organised the home share through social enterprise, Two Generations.

Tracy White saw the advert after finding rental flats too expensive.

She said: "I thought how amazing to live in a place that I could never afford and to be with somebody and give them company.

"It did take a little time to get used to, but Harry's adorable, we have fun and I feel I'm part of the home."

Tracy said she pays about half of what an average single renter would pay and as she is expected to help out for just 10 hours a week, she is still able to work.

Harry, who needs companionship rather than costly round-the-clock care, says he believes this arrangement is "the best of the lot".

"It's good human company, so things are working well," he added.

Anna said it was "peace of mind" for her too, as Tracy is "good at keeping in touch".

A recent report by The Homeshare Association called for the concept to be included in any new reform of social care framework.

The government said it was taking action to improve social connections for people.

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