India sees growth in businesses renting out “grandchildren” as companions for the elderly
A growing number of companies in Indian cities pay young people to accompany older people. The service responds to rapid population ageing and widespread loneliness among seniors.
A small but growing number of startups in Indian cities, including Gurugram on the edge of the capital New Delhi, now hire out young people as companions for the elderly. The firms describe the workers as “children for hire” or a “grandchild for rent”. The trend comes as India's population ages quickly and many older people lack company.
What companions do
Companions take seniors to the temple, sit with them during hospital visits, play cards or simply listen. Roney Raju, 26, who holds a master's degree in social work, has spent several months accompanying S Budhiraja, who is in his 80s, and his wife in Gurugram. Both of Budhiraja's daughters live in the United States. When Budhiraja underwent surgery, Raju kept track of the doctors and medicines.
Raju's employer, Gaurav Mittal, charges 450 rupees ($5) an hour for 10 hours a month, or 400 rupees ($4.5) an hour for 25 hours. Unused hours roll over to the next month. With average per capita income at about 220,000 rupees a year, the service reaches a small group of financially secure urban families. Companions undergo police verification, and most are trained in psychology, social work or hospitality.
Ageing and loneliness
According to a report by the UN Population Fund, people over 60 made up 10.5 percent of India's population in 2022, a share projected to reach 21 percent by 2050, or about 347 million people. The government estimates the senior care industry at about $7bn. Older Indians are expected to outnumber children by 2046.
In a 2022 national survey of more than 72,000 people, 20.5 percent of middle-aged and older adults reported moderate loneliness and 13.3 percent severe loneliness. Among people over 60 living alone, 37 percent said they felt lonely.
Founders stress limits to the role. Companions are not doctors or mental health professionals, and Santosh Abraham, CEO of a Bengaluru startup, trains them to “talk less and listen more”. Shilpa Bandyopadhyay of the Jindal Institute of Behavioural Sciences says hiring a companion should not automatically be read as a sign that families have failed.
