Please donate
Right now, more than two million older people in the UK are living in poverty.
Your donation today could help to stop another life unravelling like Frank's.
Watch our new films starring Sue Holderness, Jane Asher and Vincent Ebrahim
Actors Sue Holderness, Jane Asher and Vincent Ebrahim star in a series of films we've launched to tackle the stigma of poverty in later life.
Our films demonstrate the reality of financial hardship for people in later life and highlight the support that is available. Sue, Jane and Vincent deliver scripts based on real calls to the Independent Age helpline.
Watch Cathy's story
In this video, Sue plays the character of Cathy, who cares for her husband. Cathy’s story is based on actual calls to our helpline. Viewers hear how Cathy is struggling financially after her husband had a stroke before seeing the difference a call to the helpline made for the couple.
Watch Jill's story
Jane Asher plays Jill, a former wedding dress shop owner who lost her business during COVID-19 and after a divorce has found herself living with her daughter.
Watch Robert's story
Vincent Ebrahim’s character Robert is a former bookkeeper whose retirement income couldn’t keep up with the cost of living.
Frank and Valerie's story
Frank* is typical of our callers in that he’s always lived within his means and never borrowed or bought on credit. He and his wife Valerie even managed to put a bit aside for their retirement. What they couldn’t prepare for was the stroke that robbed Valerie of her independence – making loving husband Frank a carer too.
Suddenly there were costly adaptations to be made: a ramp, some handrails, an accessible shower… In a matter of weeks, the couple’s hard-earned savings pot was empty, just as energy prices and the cost of the weekly shop were going through the roof.
How Frank and Valerie got help
It was only when Frank had reached his wits’ end that he called our Helpline. For Frank, calling our Helpline was life-changing. First, we reassured him he had come to the right place and encouraged him to tell us a bit about his circumstances. We quickly discovered he would qualify for Pension Credit as well as Attendance Allowance for Valerie, who now needs constant care at home.
You could hear the relief washing over him as he realised that the benefits he was entitled to were worth not a few extra pennies but potentially thousands of pounds each year – and that there was a way ahead for him and Valerie, not just the steady unravelling of everything they had worked so hard to create.
Your donation
Your donation will help us reach more people through our Helpline and will help ensure they get the benefits they are entitled to. Over the past year we've provided support and advice to more than 12,000 people, revealing almost £1.5 million in unclaimed benefits.
Other ways to donate
Whether it’s a one-off donation or a monthly gift, your donation will fund our work to improve the lives of older people in the UK.
Call 020 7605 4223 to donate.
Make cheques payable to Independent Age and send to:
Independent Age
18 Avonmore Road
London
W14 8RR
*‘Frank and Valerie’ are based on the real-life experiences of people we’ve helped.