Older people

The UK is getting older. People are living to an ever-greater age, often with health concerns and diminishing incomes. According to statistics, there are over 11 million people above the pension age in the UK. Their needs and their numbers are growing, and charities face the enormous challenge of keeping up.

> Introduction
> The big players
> Accommodation and care
> Reducing isolation
> Illness
> Abuse

Introduction
Think about which aspect you would like to help with. Pensions are often inadequate, and estimates indicate that 21% of pensioners are living in poverty. This in turn impacts on accommodation, heating and nutrition. Many need expensive care, or must consider the option of moving to a residential home.

But lack of money is by no means the only problem. Many older people live alone, increasing their vulnerability and heightening their isolation. Frailty, health problems or lack of confidence can discourage them from leaving the house. Do consider giving to a charity which provides an opportunity for older people to make contact with others.

Lobbying and campaigning are also important. Changes in legislation have the potential to affect the lives of all older people for the better.

Finally, be aware that there is a range of volunteering opportunities in this area. Consider giving your time to a charity, or even to an older person you know.

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The big players
Age Concern (see profile), a network of over 400 small local outfits, is the largest UK charity working with older people. It offers information and advice, aims to make them aware of their rights and campaigns on issues which could affect them, for example on inadequate hospital food. For a local approach, use this search to find a branch in your area.

Help the Aged (see profile) promotes a slightly different image, emphasising its advice, support and campaigns for disadvantaged older people. It is also a member of the Disasters Emergency Committee and aims to help meet the needs of older people abroad via HelpAge (see profile).

For a more specific group, the Royal British Legion (see profile) provides a range of services and support for ex-armed-forces older people and their dependants, alongside its work with younger people.

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Accommodation and care
It is estimated that older people spend between 70 and 90% of their time at home, making it even more important that they live somewhere safe and warm which meets their particular needs. Unfortunately, all too often this doesn’t seem to be the case.

The Elderly Accommodation Counsel (see profile) aims to help older people make informed choices about housing. It provides free advice and information to more than 200,000 people per year via a telephone advice line and through a website it runs with its partners. This includes info on at-home care, adapting homes for specific needs, specialised housing, care homes, hospice care and how to pay for it all. The charity also provides research and analysis for housing and care providers.

The UK has an enormous range of care and residential homes – have a look at our listings or your local phone book if you would like to support one near you. Some, such as Earnest Luff Homes (a Christian charity based near Ipswich - see profile), provide a range of options, from respite care to sheltered bungalow accommodation to full residential care. Nightingale house (see profile) is a Jewish care home, providing seemingly deluxe care in South-East England.

For a national approach, Friends of the Elderly (see profile) provides residential homes as part of a wider programme of helping older people. The very large Methodist Homes for the Aged (see profile) helps people of all or no religious beliefs through supported housing and homes.

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Reducing isolation
All sorts of charities are trying to reach out to isolated older people with a range of activities and initiatives. Remember that you could help some of these with your time as well as with your cash.

The giant WRVS (see profile) is a common sight in hospitals and in emergencies, but it also helps over 180,000 older people, whether by delivering meals on wheels, driving them to the shops or simply providing some company. It also encourages older people to make contact with others by providing places to meet, as well as transport. Difficulty in moving around can heighten isolation, and Mobility Choice (see profile) aims to get older people out and about by improving their mobility.

A multi-faceted approach comes from Friends of the Elderly (see profile), which aims to help older people in a variety of ways while respecting their wishes, both at home and in residential care. It also focuses on reducing poverty among older people. On a much smaller scale, Contact the Elderly (see profile) runs the rather charming scheme of taking older people out to tea once a month, via 300 local groups.

The non-preaching Catholic St Vincent de Paul Society (see profile) is much larger but also made up of local groups. Volunteers make about a million visits every year, offering help, advice and conversation to ill, lonely and disabled people, including many older people. Counsel and Care for the Elderly (see profile), on the other hand, focuses on improving care and support through a combination of advice, information and trying to influence government policy. KC Carers (see profile) has a similar mission, but focuses on ill, disabled or lonely Londoners and their carers.

For a strategy which seeks to challenge stereotypes and reduce the social exclusion of older people, consider giving to Magic Me (see profile). It runs various arts projects which bring together younger and older people from a variety of ethnic backgrounds, encouraging them to mix and have fun together. The tiny Grandparents Plus (see profile) aims to promote the role of grandparents in the care of children, while the Retired and Senior Volunteer Programme aims to get people over 50 out into the community by encouraging them to volunteer their skills.

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Illness
Over 60% of pensioners report a long-standing illness, and as treatment improves, more and more people are living with health conditions for many years. If you would like to help in this area, there are a variety of options – take a look at the examples below or see our listings.

The Research Institute for the Care of the Elderly (see profile) and BRACE (see profile) both fund research into diseases and conditions that affect older people, particularly Alzheimer’s.

A whole range of charities deals with particular diseases. The Alzheimer’s Society (see profile) invests in care and campaigns as well as research, while the Arthritis Research Campaign (see profile) and Arthritis Care (see profile) deal with different aspects of the same condition. The National Osteoporosis Society (see profile) aims to improve the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of this age-related bone disease.

The Stroke Association (see profile) is concerned with helping everybody affected by strokes, including by raising awareness. InContact (see profile), on the other hand, provides information and support to people and carers affected by the less serious but widespread problem of incontinence.

WRVS (see profile) volunteers do a great deal of work in hospitals, and often it is older people who most appreciate their help. They direct patients, arrange flowers and run book trolleys. Even more importantly perhaps, they assist people who are adjusting to living at home after a stay in hospital. This help with everyday tasks is often the key factor in enabling older patients to return home.

A similar service is provided by the British Red Cross (see profile), which provides free support and care at home with the aim of reducing the amount of time spent in hospital.

For those with complex illnesses or nearing the ends of their lives, Sue Ryder Care (see profile) provides care centres, hospices and home visits to people of all ages.

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