Welcome to Age Concern Lancashire, working with and for older people in Lancashire.
Welcome to Age Concern Lancashire
Working with and for older people in Lancashire
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Help with heating costs
The fear of winter bills is causing older people in Lancashire to risk their health in the attempt to save money. Cold-related illnesses contribute to the deaths of thousands of older people each year in the winter months. With predictions of colder weather this winter, Age Concern Lancashire is urging older people to claim help with heating and benefits, such as Pension Credit, available to help them to stay warm and well.
In the last six years alone, there were almost 150,000 excess winter deaths of those aged 65 plus, with cold-related illnesses such as pneumonia contributing to many thousands of these deaths. Many older people worry about affording high fuel bills, yet by not heating their home adequately they could be putting their health at risk.
Millions of pensioners are missing out on benefits which could help to make it easier to meet their bills, because they find the system difficult to understand, are embarrassed about claiming or simply don’t realise they’re entitled to the extra cash. Many older people are also unaware that they may be able to claim help with energy efficiency, insulation and heating improvements.
As part of our year-long Your Rights benefits campaign, Age Concern Lancashire is urging people to get in touch to find out what they could claim. The charity can provide free advice and information about what money benefits and help with heating they may be entitled to, and can help to make claiming simple.
Contact your local office or for more information older people, their friends, relatives or carers can call the charity’s free information line on 0800 00 99 66.
Age Concern is also calling on the Government to provide more money for vulnerable older people. The charity wants to see the annual Winter Fuel Payment increased by £100, the Basic State Pension raised to at least £119 per week, and automatic benefits payments introduced, so all pensioners can afford to heat their homes.
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Use our Webshop to Raise Money!Exciting news! We’re delighted to announce our fundraising webshop. When shopping online, you can access over 100 leading retailers using our webshop. Every time you use our webshop when shopping online, you’ll automatically earn money for us! You don’t pay anything extra by using our webshop, so please try to use it whenever you can.
Miss England asks Miss England has called on the country to lend their ears to a good cause by backing charity RNID’s Breaking the Sound Barrier campaign, which aims to get people to look after their hearing.
Ear-resistible Georgia Horsley, who was crowned Miss England 2007 and is profoundly deaf in her right ear, is supporting the innovative campaign to help the charity tackle the stigma and embarrassment surrounding hearing loss.
New research by RNID shows that 41% of people believe those with a hearing loss cover it up or fail to seek help because they are embarrassed. The Breaking the Sound Barrier campaign (www.breakingthesoundbarrier.org.uk) aims to challenge the stigma surrounding hearing loss and get people to look after their hearing by taking regular hearing checks and getting all the information they need. Georgia said: "I’m deaf in one ear but that doesn’t stop me living life to the full.”
If you’re concerned that you or someone you know might be losing their hearing, why not take RNID’s hearing check and find out for certain? Call 0845 600 5555. The whole check will take you less than five minutes - that's less than five minutes to change your life.