Companionship care
Companionship care provides regular, familiar company for older people living alone in Surrey, with conversation, outings and a visit to look forward to each week.
“Dad has two fantastic carers, very understanding to his needs and moods.” — Frances E, verified review, homecare.co.uk
Why companionship matters
Around 940,000 older people in the UK, one in fourteen of everyone over 65, are often lonely (Age UK, 2024). Isolation lowers mood, and research also links it to poorer physical health. Regular companionship care protects both: conversation and connection support mental wellbeing, while shared activity keeps people moving, eating well and engaged with life. For many families in Surrey it is the visit that makes every other part of the week work.
Loneliness is a health issue
Around 940,000 people aged 65 and over in the UK are often lonely, and some 270,000 older people in England go a whole week without speaking to a friend or family member (Age UK, 2024). Each of those figures describes somebody's parent sitting in a quiet house with the radio on for company.
Loneliness carries a measurable cost: nine in ten older people who are often lonely are also unhappy or depressed, compared with four in ten of those who are hardly ever lonely (Age UK, 2024). Prolonged isolation wears people down physically as well as emotionally.
Regular contact is the strongest protection: Age UK's research found that older people without weekly contact with friends or family are almost three times more likely to be lonely (Age UK, 2024). A dependable weekly visit changes the shape of a week, and a genuine friendship changes considerably more.
What's included
Every visit is shaped around your relative's interests, energy and mood. Time together typically includes the following.
Old photographs, life stories and conversation over tea.
Out to the shops as a pair, company as well as errands.
Cooking and eating together, which usually improves appetite.
Cards, crosswords, knitting and jigsaws, as preferred.
A stroll in the park, a garden centre trip, fresh air together.
A reassuring companion for check-ups and hospital visits.
Staying in touch with family: post, calls and video chats.
Tidying, watering plants, small jobs done side by side.
A drive to the coast or a favourite cafe, arranged in advance.
Companionship compared with personal care
Emotional & social support
Hands-on practical support
The two meet different needs rather than competing. Most families combine them in a single plan, and the same familiar carer can usually provide both. Our hourly care page covers the hands-on support in detail.
Companionship care
30-minute visits at £29.95, 45 minutes at £34.95. Every price is a "from" rate, and your exact quote is confirmed after a free, no-obligation physical assessment at your loved one's home. Same rates 7 days a week, with no weekend premium; Bank Holidays are charged at double the standard rate, no call-out fees, no long-term contract.
The evidence
Living alone and feeling lonely are two different things, and the statistics reflect that. Many older people live on their own contentedly. Living alone is nonetheless the condition in which loneliness most often develops, and for widowed women in particular it is by far the most common arrangement.
Older people living alone (England and Wales, Census 2021) and chronic loneliness (England, 2024/25)
Sources: 3.3 million people aged 65 and over lived alone in England and Wales, which is 30.1% of that age group, rising to 36.3% of older women and falling to 22.7% of older men (ONS, Census 2021). 5% of adults aged 75 and over in England said they feel lonely often or always, and 4% of those aged 65 to 74 (Community Life Survey 2024/25). Around half of everyone living alone in the UK is now aged 65 or over (ONS, Families and households, 2025). An honest caveat: the last row is a different measure from the first three, and living alone is not the same as being lonely. Plenty of people live alone and are content. Age UK estimates that nearly a million older people in the UK are often lonely.
Two separate points sit behind the chart. Only a small minority of older people will tell a survey that they are lonely; that generation was not raised to say so, and many are genuinely content. Nearly a third, however, live on their own, and among older women the figure is higher still. The risk is not unhappiness so much as an absence of observation: nobody notices that the fridge is emptier this week, that the post has accumulated, or that the walk to the shop stopped in March. Company and safety are closely connected.
Companionship care places a familiar carer in the diary at the same time each week, so there is both something to anticipate and someone who will notice if circumstances change. A visit might be tea and the crossword, a lift to the garden centre, help writing birthday cards, or a walk that would feel daunting alone. Because the carer knows your relative, small changes are identified early: reduced appetite, disturbed sleep, new unsteadiness on the stairs. Families are told promptly. An hour a week is a reasonable starting point, and it is far easier to extend a visit somebody enjoys than to introduce care during a crisis.
More than company
Regular companionship care supports mood, appetite, confidence and physical health. Companions are matched on personality and shared interests, so that a visit resembles a friend calling round rather than a service arriving.
Who it's for
Where the house has become quiet, a regular visitor changes the shape of the week: someone to talk to, to plan around, and to look forward to.
The loss of a partner leaves a silence that little else fills. A patient companion provides steady company through the most difficult months, at your relative's own pace.
Where relatives cannot visit as often as they would wish, a companion maintains day-to-day contact and reports back to the family after every visit.
After a fall or a period of illness, activity often contracts. Trips out with a steady arm and a familiar companion rebuild confidence gradually.
A visit, their way
The list below is a range of options rather than a fixed schedule. Most visits combine two or three of them, guided by how your relative feels that day.
The stories behind the photograph albums, told to an attentive listener.
Scrabble, jigsaws, knitting and model-making taken up again.
A turn around the block, or an hour in the garden.
Choosing their own groceries again, with a steady arm and no rush.
A table at the local cafe, or a return to the church hall.
Sunday video calls with the grandchildren, set up and running smoothly.
Company in the waiting room and a second pair of ears in the consultation.
Chores turned into company, side by side, at their pace.
The garden centre next week, the coast next month.
How we match companions
Companionship care only works where the relationship is genuine, which is why matching receives the most attention in our process.
We pair gardeners with gardeners and cricket followers with cricket followers. Where there is something real to discuss from the first visit, conversation does not have to be manufactured.
You meet the proposed companion before committing to anything, and if the match is not right we will introduce someone else. You may change companion at any point.
Friendship depends on consistency, so the same companion attends each week. Over the following months the relationship generally moves from a professional one to a genuine friendship.
How it works
We visit you at home to discuss interests, routines and the kind of company that would help most.
A clear plan built around hobbies, outings and preferences, with a written quote.
We match on personality and shared interests, and introduce your DBS-checked companion before visits begin.
We adjust visits as needs change, and keep the family informed.
Care can begin within 24 to 48 hours of your assessment.
"Dad has two fantastic carers, very understanding to his needs and moods."
"Excellent service. The carers we have are brilliant and so kind and caring. Always so attentive."
Companionship questions
Yes. Loneliness affects both mental and physical health, and regular social contact is among the strongest protections against decline. Our companions are the same trained, DBS-checked carers who deliver all our services, every visit follows a written care plan, and the same standards set by the Care Quality Commission, the independent regulator of health and care services in England, apply. Every Aims carer wears our green uniform, so it is always clear who is at the door.
Yes. Outings are a significant part of companionship care. Shopping trips, garden centres, appointments and drives to a favourite place can all be arranged. Tell us what your relative enjoys at the assessment and we will build outings into the care plan, safely and at their own pace.
As often as suits you, from a single weekly visit to daily company. Visits start from 30 minutes, and many families choose an hour or two so that there is time for a proper activity. Visits can be increased, reduced or rescheduled as circumstances change.
Yes, and most families arrange exactly that. A single visit can cover a morning wash, medication and breakfast, followed by a walk and conversation. Our hourly care page covers the practical support, and both elements are brought together in one care plan.
£36.95 per hour, with 30-minute visits at £29.95 and 45-minute visits at £34.95, and the same rates Monday to Sunday, with no weekend premium (Bank Holidays are double). Every price is a starting-from rate, and you will receive an exact written quote after a free physical assessment at your relative's home. Our pricing page sets out full details and funding options.
Yes. Many of our companions drive, and transport can be built into the care plan, whether that means the companion driving, accompanying your parent in their own car, or travelling together by taxi. The practical details, including any mileage arrangements, are agreed at your free assessment, so that hospital appointments, the weekly shop and days out can happen safely without family taking time off work.
Befriending charities do valuable work, but they depend on volunteers, often operate waiting lists, and visits may be occasional. Companionship care is a scheduled professional service: the companion is a trained, DBS-checked carer, visits take place at the same time each week with backup cover if the companion is unwell, and the service is CQC-regulated throughout. The same companion can also provide personal care, with washing, dressing or medication, as needs change, so support can grow without introducing a stranger.
Yes. One visit a week is how most families begin, and visits start from 30 minutes (from £29.95). It allows your relative to get to know the companion without pressure, and further visits can be added once the arrangement is established. There is no long-term contract, and the schedule can be adjusted at any time.
Related services
Local companionship care
Aims Homecare provides companionship care across Surrey from our local office in Leatherhead, including elderly companionship, visits to reduce loneliness and a friendly sitting service. Whether a parent needs a weekly visitor, company on outings, or a companion sitter so that family can go out with confidence, our carers are matched on personality and shared interests, so that each visit feels like a friend calling round.
Because our companions are the same trained, DBS-checked carers who deliver all our CQC-regulated care, companionship combines seamlessly with practical support: add hourly care for help with washing, meals and medication, or specialist dementia care if memory is changing the picture. Our guide to the signs a loved one needs home care, and the rest of our blog, is written for families weighing up these questions for the first time.