Age Scotland

We’re pleased to support Age Scotland as one of our strategic partners. Our funding is supporting the information, advice and friendship service. This includes s helpline, providing a freephone advice service to older people, their families and carers, an information service including our publications and advice workshops and a friendship line.

The demand for the helpline is high and our funding has allowed Age Scotland to be there for more older people. The helpline receives approximately 20,000 calls each year from older people seeking advice on a range of issues, including fuel poverty.
Every year in Scotland millions of pounds in social security payments go unclaimed by older people due to lack of awareness, difficultly in accessing them, stigma surrounding benefits or just not knowing where to turn for help. There are at least 123,000 eligible low-income pensioners in Scotland not claiming Pension Credit. It is important to ensure that older people on fixed and low incomes receive everything they are entitled to.

Between January and July 2023, Age Scotland completed 5,646 income maximisation conversations and 252 benefit checks which resulted in Age Scotland identifying £411,697 in client financial gain that otherwise would have remained unclaimed. This means that more older people are in a better financial position, being more aware of their rights, feeling more happier or content, and having reduced debts.
Often digitally excluded, Age Scotland ensures older people also have access to over 70 free hardcopy information guides, tailored to their needs and covering a broad range of topics including care and support, health and wellbeing, housing and energy, legal and family issues, money matters and dementia.

The information and advice team carry out workshops based around energy, heating your home efficiently and information on social security. Many older people in Scotland need a friendly ear and our support contributes to a friendship line offering them a weekly friendly chat. For some older people in Scotland it may the only person they have spoken to and we hear of people ‘sitting waiting by the phone for a phone call’. The friendship service supports older people to feel less alone, feel more connected and have increases health and wellbeing.