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The new force combining Age Concern logo & Help the Aged logo

Poverty in retirement

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Campaigning to improve pensions and benefits

Two million of us in later life are not able to cover our basic
food and fuel bills, let alone do all the things in retirement that we had looked forward to, because we don’t have enough money.

This may be because earlier in life we were on low income or disabled, or unemployed, or we spent a lot of time looking after other people.

We have to campaign for increases in pensions and benefits, and for everyone to receive what they are entitled to.

What Age UK is doing

  • Age UK is calling for the government to restore the basic state pension’s link to earnings.
  • Our Ending fuel poverty campaign tackles high fuel bills.
  • We want to make it easy for people to claim what they are entitled to through our More money in your pocket campaign.
  • Care reform may mean that some of us who need help to live independently in our own homes will not be entitled to attendance allowance, so our Protecting attendance allowance campaign calls for keeping the allowance’s positive features.
  • Our Carer’s allowance and older carers campaign calls for more support for those of us who care for someone such as our husband, wife or partner. Once we retire we no longer receive carer’s allowance and we get little support.

What you can do

If any of these issues affect you or someone you care about, support our campaigns against Poverty in retirement.

Campaigns against poverty in retirement

Ending fuel poverty

One in three of us in retirement spend more than 10% of our income on fuel bills.

Protecting attendance allowance

Campaigning to make sure that what is good about attendance allowance is kept when the way care services are provided is changed.

Carer's allowance and older carers

Many of us care for someone with health problems. We are calling for improvements to carer’s allowance and for greater support for older carers.

Claiming all benefits: More money in your pocket

Many of us in later life are missing out on benefits each week because we don’t claim what’s rightfully ours.

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Older people's forums

Have your say in the decisions that affect our lives, by joining an independent local forum.

By working together in local forums, we are making our voices heard on the issues that matter to us in later life, influencing the provision of services locally, regionally and nationally.

See information relating to Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland
Call Age UK:
0800 169 8787
A hospital meal tray.

Still Hungry to be Heard

Too many of us are still going hungry in hospital. This must end now.

A cake being cut

Save social care!

Speak up! 1000s of older people already receive poor quality care - we need to make sure social care budgets are not cut any further.

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