So far, 15 international students have applied online to be paired with an elderly Skype pal, a number organisers hope to double by the end of the year. Tatyana Prusova, from the Older Generation organisation, thinks lots of retirees will be keen to sign up, too. "Many people understand that the old age is not the end of life. They communicate, travel, try to learn something new," she says, adding that some may even want to improve their own foreign language skills.