Age UK fact card
Age UK fact card Age UK is the country’s largest charity dedicated to helping everyone get the most from later life. There are over 14 million people in later life in the UK today. Ageing isn’t an illness, but as we get older most of us will face some really difficult challenges such as losing close friends and partners or dealing with a long term health condition and reduced mobility. When these things happen it can be really difficult for older people to get the help they need to stay independent, keep connected and feel positive about life. No one should have to face the challenges of later life alone. And that’s where Age UK comes in.
One million older people say they regularly go an entire month without speaking to anyone; it’s hard to imagine how it would feel to be this lonely. And loneliness isn’t just a feeling; research shows it is bad for our physical and mental health. Having a regular chat or sharing a joke with an Age UK befriender can make such a difference to a lonely older person’s life. Watch Barbara explaining what it feels like to be lonely and what a difference her Age UK befriender has made to her life.
Advice
Age UK is making a difference to the lives of millions of older people every year by providing:
Companionship
Age UK’s free national advice line and website, as well as its local advice services, help millions of older people and their families every year.
Watch Programme manager Alison explain the importance of the information and advice service.
Fact card
Age UK runs befriending services, pairing older people with befrienders to help provide companionship.
Later life doesn’t come with a manual and it can be really difficult to know how to get the right care and support. Age UK’s advisers are experts in everything to do with later life and can help people work out what support they need and how to get it.
johnlewis.com/skillstolife
Support
• Age UK Advice – the charity’s national telephone advice line is open 365 days a year and answered more than 265,000 calls last year. Age UK Advice can be contacted on 0800 169 6565. • Age UK has a network of around 450 shops, selling an ever-changing range of goods many of which are donated by the public. • Age UK is supported by more than 75,000 dedicated volunteers who get involved and help older people to make the most of later life.
How can your school support? Local Age UKs, Age Cymru, Age Scotland and Age Northern Ireland help older people stay independent and active in their local communities. From computer classes to home adaptations, lunch clubs to exercise groups, Age UK’s local services give older people across the UK millions of reasons to love later life. Watch how Age UK helped Norma’s dad stay active.
Did you know:
Fact card
• There are now more over 60s in the UK than under 18s – over 60s are the fastest growing age group in the country! • One in five people living in the UK right now will live to see their 100th birthday, and there are so many people living to see 100 the Queen has had to extend her birthday letter writing team! • There are 14 million grandparents living in the UK! • The oldest person living in the UK is a lady called Gladys Hooper, born 18 January 1903 – making her 112! • Almost 600,000 older people only leave their house once a week or less. • An estimated five million older people consider their TV to be their main form of companionship. • There are 165 Local Age UKs across the country – covering 96% of English postcodes.
Age UK encourages children to understand the challenges that older people face and think about how valuable older people are to communities. And there are a number of ways in which you can support: • Fundraising From having a bake sale to running a sponsored silence, to organising a collection at your school Christmas carol concert, all money you raise will help support the work of Age UK. When the class send their donation to ‘Age UK Community Fundraising, 1-6 Tavistock Square, London WC1H 9NA’ they will receive a personalised letter that can be displayed on the classroom wall. • Make time to talk Age UK runs a number of different befriending services and by making time to talk to your nan, grandad or older family friend you could be making a big difference to their day. If you know of a lonely older person who you feel might benefit from Age UK’s befriending services, tell them to get in touch with the charity. • Hold an iTea Party Know how to send an email, Facetime or Skype? By sharing these skills with an older person you could be enabling them to stay connected to their friends and family. An iTea Party would see you invite older members of the local community into your school so you can share digital skills over tea and cake and you could ask the older guests to share some of their skills, knowledge or experiences in return.
johnlewis.com/skillstolife
• Ready, set, recycle The Age UK recycling appeal is a great way for schools to get involved in an environmentally friendly initiative that gets rid of waste and raises funds for charity. You can recycle old mobile phones, foreign currency, clothes, household goods and printer and toner cartridges. Simply take them to your local Age UK shop.
Charity partner
This Christmas John Lewis is supporting Age UK*. Age UK is the country’s largest charity dedicated to helping everyone get the most from later life. In our communities there are many older people who, much like The Man on the Moon, don’t have anyone to turn to for a friendly chat or to share a problem, or a joke. In fact around 1 million older people regularly go an entire month without speaking to a friend, neighbour or family member. Just imagine being that lonely. No one should have no one. That’s why we’re supporting Age UK, because together we can change this and we’d love your help too.
Enter our prize draw To celebrate the older people in our lives, we’d like to hear children’s stories or memories of an older person who is special to them. Send their drawings, stories or poems to [email protected] and they could win a Man on the Moon prize pack. Please see prize draw terms and conditions for full details at johnlewis.com/skillstolife/christmas.
Fact card
*Age UK is a charitable company limited by guarantee and registered in England and Wales. Registered address: Age UK, Tavis House, 1-6 Tavistock Square, London WC1H 9NA. Registered charity number: 1128267. Company number: 6825798. © Age UK Group and/or its National Partners (Age NI, Age Scotland and Age Cymru) 2015. All Rights Reserved.
One million older people say they regularly go an entire month without speaking to anyone; it’s hard to imagine how it would feel to be this lonely. And loneliness isn’t just a feeling; research shows it is bad for our physical and mental health. Having a regular chat or sharing a joke with an Age UK befriender can make such a difference to a lonely older person’s life. Watch Barbara explaining what it feels like to be lonely and what a difference her Age UK befriender has made to her life.
Advice
Age UK is making a difference to the lives of millions of older people every year by providing:
Companionship
Age UK’s free national advice line and website, as well as its local advice services, help millions of older people and their families every year.
Watch Programme manager Alison explain the importance of the information and advice service.
Fact card
Age UK runs befriending services, pairing older people with befrienders to help provide companionship.
Later life doesn’t come with a manual and it can be really difficult to know how to get the right care and support. Age UK’s advisers are experts in everything to do with later life and can help people work out what support they need and how to get it.
johnlewis.com/skillstolife
Support
• Age UK Advice – the charity’s national telephone advice line is open 365 days a year and answered more than 265,000 calls last year. Age UK Advice can be contacted on 0800 169 6565. • Age UK has a network of around 450 shops, selling an ever-changing range of goods many of which are donated by the public. • Age UK is supported by more than 75,000 dedicated volunteers who get involved and help older people to make the most of later life.
How can your school support? Local Age UKs, Age Cymru, Age Scotland and Age Northern Ireland help older people stay independent and active in their local communities. From computer classes to home adaptations, lunch clubs to exercise groups, Age UK’s local services give older people across the UK millions of reasons to love later life. Watch how Age UK helped Norma’s dad stay active.
Did you know:
Fact card
• There are now more over 60s in the UK than under 18s – over 60s are the fastest growing age group in the country! • One in five people living in the UK right now will live to see their 100th birthday, and there are so many people living to see 100 the Queen has had to extend her birthday letter writing team! • There are 14 million grandparents living in the UK! • The oldest person living in the UK is a lady called Gladys Hooper, born 18 January 1903 – making her 112! • Almost 600,000 older people only leave their house once a week or less. • An estimated five million older people consider their TV to be their main form of companionship. • There are 165 Local Age UKs across the country – covering 96% of English postcodes.
Age UK encourages children to understand the challenges that older people face and think about how valuable older people are to communities. And there are a number of ways in which you can support: • Fundraising From having a bake sale to running a sponsored silence, to organising a collection at your school Christmas carol concert, all money you raise will help support the work of Age UK. When the class send their donation to ‘Age UK Community Fundraising, 1-6 Tavistock Square, London WC1H 9NA’ they will receive a personalised letter that can be displayed on the classroom wall. • Make time to talk Age UK runs a number of different befriending services and by making time to talk to your nan, grandad or older family friend you could be making a big difference to their day. If you know of a lonely older person who you feel might benefit from Age UK’s befriending services, tell them to get in touch with the charity. • Hold an iTea Party Know how to send an email, Facetime or Skype? By sharing these skills with an older person you could be enabling them to stay connected to their friends and family. An iTea Party would see you invite older members of the local community into your school so you can share digital skills over tea and cake and you could ask the older guests to share some of their skills, knowledge or experiences in return.
johnlewis.com/skillstolife
• Ready, set, recycle The Age UK recycling appeal is a great way for schools to get involved in an environmentally friendly initiative that gets rid of waste and raises funds for charity. You can recycle old mobile phones, foreign currency, clothes, household goods and printer and toner cartridges. Simply take them to your local Age UK shop.
Charity partner
This Christmas John Lewis is supporting Age UK*. Age UK is the country’s largest charity dedicated to helping everyone get the most from later life. In our communities there are many older people who, much like The Man on the Moon, don’t have anyone to turn to for a friendly chat or to share a problem, or a joke. In fact around 1 million older people regularly go an entire month without speaking to a friend, neighbour or family member. Just imagine being that lonely. No one should have no one. That’s why we’re supporting Age UK, because together we can change this and we’d love your help too.
Enter our prize draw To celebrate the older people in our lives, we’d like to hear children’s stories or memories of an older person who is special to them. Send their drawings, stories or poems to [email protected] and they could win a Man on the Moon prize pack. Please see prize draw terms and conditions for full details at johnlewis.com/skillstolife/christmas.
Fact card
*Age UK is a charitable company limited by guarantee and registered in England and Wales. Registered address: Age UK, Tavis House, 1-6 Tavistock Square, London WC1H 9NA. Registered charity number: 1128267. Company number: 6825798. © Age UK Group and/or its National Partners (Age NI, Age Scotland and Age Cymru) 2015. All Rights Reserved.
