There is a rent a friend service in the USA. I guess this would be helpful for some things, such as having someone for support and companionship, especially during stressful situations that one does not want to go through alone. However, I much rather have a real friend who is with me because he/she genuinely likes me and wants to spend time with me.

Renting a friend may be a "better than having nobody" option for some of us, but certainly not the preference.

Sadly though, it seems like the deeper I move into senior citizen status, the less likely that anyone under the age of 50 would befriend me without there being a price or conditions attached to it. Older people are treated like obsolete relics in this society, or it seems that way at times.

By the way, in my opinion, the rent a family concept would not help to heal old traumas that happened with other people in the past. One would always know that the hired family was only playing a role. It would be like taking a placebo pill, but knowing that it is a placebo. There would be little or no effect.