A leading childcare company has launched an initiative to provide ‘au pair’ care to the elderly.

Like Minders Elderly Care and Companionship’s ‘nannies for grannies’ scheme is hoping to fill a growing gap for care by offering a similarly flexible service to that offered by childcare agencies.

Since 2010, social care in England has seen a drop of £770 million, with 900,000 people in need of care not receiving formal support.

With an average care home reportedly costing around £30,000 per year, the scheme is offering half day flexible care for £430 a week, potentially saving £10,000 for older people looking for someone to talk to and help out with housework.

“There seems to be this void between elderly people who are self- sufficient, to those needing full time medical care,” said director Georgie Jones. “Those who just need help around the home or simply companionship, tend to be the ones who are neglected.”

A study by Office for National Statistics has predicted that the number of over 65 year olds will rise by over 40 per cent in the next 17 years, and with many older people living alone, the team is hoping this service is a start in the right direction.

“Through our research we found that one of the biggest problems elderly people face in our society is loneliness. We hope that by putting people in touch with local companions we hope they can build up friendships and local contacts.”