Age Concern urges older people to claim benefits

Professionals who work with older people have been urged to encourage them to take up benefits that would otherwise go unclaimed.

Charity Age Concern claimed workers could help put up to £110 a week in benefits, such as Attendance Allowance and Disability Living Allowance in the pockets of older and disabled people.

The charity says £4.2bn in benefits goes unclaimed every year and has launched a year-long Your Rights campaign to put an extra £100m into older people’s pockets by April 2008.

It has called on professionals to get to grips with the basics of benefits so they can signpost older people to make relevant claims.

Gordon Lishman, Director General of Age Concern England said:

“As all front-line staff know, becoming ill can be expensive and an early claim could make a huge difference to an individual’s ability to cover their extra costs.”

Age Concern’s freephone national helpline number is 0800 00 99 66.

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