Age UK befriending or a paid companion? A clear, honest comparison
Age UK Hertfordshire runs a free volunteer befriending service, visiting and telephone, organised through local area coordinators including one for East Hertfordshire and Broxbourne. It is free, well established and a good first port of call. Age UK Hertfordshire's own website currently states its North Hertfordshire and Stevenage area is closed to new referrals, quoting them directly: "Due to an unprecedented volume of referrals for Befriending in the North and Stevenage area, as well as temporary limited capacity due to recruitment, we are unable to accept new referrals for this area at this time." This is not unique to Hertfordshire: Age UK West Sussex, Brighton and Hove had more than 55 people waiting before its befriending service had even launched.
Age UK's December 2024 report "You are not alone in feeling lonely" found 9 in 10 older people who are often lonely also report being unhappy or depressed, compared with 4 in 10 of those who are hardly ever lonely, evidence for acting sooner rather than later regardless of route. A side by side comparison covers cost (free versus from 25 pounds an hour), typical wait (a list, with some areas currently closed, versus usually days), choice of visitor (matched by the scheme versus chosen by the family) and visit frequency (set by the scheme versus set by the family). These are not rivals: many families register with Age UK and book a companion to bridge the wait, keeping both once a volunteer starts or scaling back the paid visits.
AirCarers Companion connects families in Ware, Hertford, Hoddesdon, Broxbourne and the surrounding SG11 to SG14 and EN10 to EN11 postcodes with vetted companions, rates from 25 pounds an hour set by each companion, most families have a first visit booked within days. Every companion is enhanced DBS checked, ID verified, insured and trained. It is a companionship platform, not a CQC registered agency, and does not provide personal or clinical care. Our own founder watched dementia quietly narrow his dad's world down to almost no one, and he talks about it directly, including the loneliness and the real cost of care, in our guide on companionship for someone with dementia. Related reading includes companionship vs befriending generally. To talk it through, call 07455 750006 or email lucie@aircarers.co.uk.