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Disability benefits

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Although many people continue to enjoy good health well into old age, some people find that they need help with daily living.

You may have difficulty walking or getting about, or with personal care such as dressing or washing, or with your hearing or sight. You could get extra money to help you. 

The two main benefits for disabled people are Attendance Allowance (AA) and Disability Living Allowance (DLA).

Disability Living Allowance (DLA)

You might be able to get DLA if you are under 65. There are two components to DLA: care and mobility which can be paid at different rates depending on the level of difficulty you have.

Attendance Allowance (AA)

If you are over 65, and you aren’t already getting DLA, you may be able to claim AA if you have difficulties with personal care. AA is paid at two different rates.

AA and DLA are tax-free. They are not means-tested and receiving them will not reduce your other benefits. In fact, getting AA or DLA might mean that you are entitled to more benefits.

You don’t have to have someone caring for you in order to claim, and you can spend the money however you want. It is a great help for many older people who want to stay put in their own home for as long as possible.

If you would like to talk to somebody about your entitlement to benefits call Age Uk Advice free on 0800 169 6565.

woman and carer

Campaigning issues

Attendance Allowance

Join our campaign to help ensure that all of the positive elements of Attendance Allowance are kept when the way that care services provided is changed.

 

See information relating to Scotland, Wales or Northern Ireland
Age UK Advice:
0800 169 6565

Useful information to download

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Downloads

What is a download?

A download is a document (like a research report, a leaflet, or an application form) that can be transferred from our website to your computer. You can download a file, view it on your screen, print it, or save it to your computer.

What is a PDF?

PDF stands for ‘portable document format’.

Most downloads on this website are PDFs. We use this format to ensure that the document looks the same on everyone’s computer (website pages, by contrast, appear differently depending on how people have got their computer set up).

How do I download a PDF?

Computers use a program called Adobe Acrobat Reader to download PDFs. If you try clicking on a link to download a PDF and it doesn’t work, you will need to install Adobe Acrobat Reader onto your computer.

How do I install Adobe Acrobat Reader?

The process is quite straightforward and is free.

  1. Go to opens link in new window http://get.adobe.com/uk/reader/
  2. Click ‘Download’.
  3. Wait for the window to offer you the option to ‘Run’, then choose this option.
  4. Click ‘Next’.
  5. Click ‘Install’
  6. Wait for the window to offer you the option to ‘Finish’, then choose this option.

How do I change a download?

PDFs cannot be changed. If you need to be able to type into a downloaded document (for example, if we are offering a letter template that you need to put your name on) we will provide it as a Microsoft Word document rather than a PDF. You can then download it, type into it and save it to your computer.

How do I print or save a download?

Downloads will open on your computer in a new browser window.

Inside this window (below all your web browser menus), there will be a toolbar with options for you to print or save the document.

Close the browser window to return to the Age UK website.

Can my screen reader read PDF downloads?

We have made every effort to make our PDFs accessible to screen readers. Here is an overview of your accessibility options available in Acrobat Reader. Please ensure that you have downloaded the latest version of Acrobat Reader from the Adobe Reader website to ensure that they are included in your version of the programme.

You can use Adobe Reader to read a PDF out loud with the following shortcut keys:

  • Read the document: Shift +Ctrl+Y
  • Read the open page only: Shift +Ctrl+V
  • Read to the end of the document: Shift+Ctrl+B
  • Pause: Shift+Ctrl+C
  • Stop Shift+Ctrl+E

You can also convert a PDF into a web page by following these steps:

  • Copy the URL (web address) of the document (right-click on the link and select ‘Save target as’ or ‘Copy link’).
  • Open the Adobe online conversion tool in your browser and paste the URL into the URL box.
  • Tick the HTML box on the Format option and click ‘Convert’.

You can convert a PDF document into a text file for use with other software and hardware such as Braille printers by opening the PDF and choosing ‘Save as text’ from the File menu.

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