Information & Advice
Free, independent information and advice for older people, their relatives, friends and carers.
Speak to an adviser 9am to 12pm Wednesdays and Thursdays or send us an email.
Call us on 01604 611207
The Benefits Calculator can help you find out which benefits you could be entitled to. It's free to use and the details you provide are kept anonymous.
-
Attendance Allowance claims
We can help older people with significant long-term health conditions and disabilities to claim Attendance Allowance. Please get in touch on 01604 611207 if you have a query.
-
Information & Advice line
Our advice line is open on Wednesdays and Thursdays 9am to 12pm. Age UK's national advice line is 0800 678 1602.
View Age UK's information guides and factsheets here.
-
Referrals by third party professionals
Use this link to our online form to refer a client to our Information & Advice Service for matters other than Attendance Allowance claim forms.
For people age 55 and over
We can usually help directly but if not, we can signpost you to someone who can.
- Our information and advice can support you to make the best decision - about the little things that can make a big difference, as well as major life changes.
- Our help can make the difference between living life and just managing.
Who is it for?
Older people living in Northamptonshire or their family or carers calling from around the UK.
What is the charge?
We do not make a charge for this service but donations are always gratefully received as this helps fund the team of advisers.
We can help with
- checking your benefit entitlement
- help with benefit claim submissions to the Department for Work and Pensions
- challenging adverse benefit decisions if we have completed the original claim
- accessing services from Adult Social Care
- identifying your housing options
What is offered by the service?
- One-to-one support to find solutions including referral to other agencies where appropriate
- Information on local, community and national services for older people and their carers
- Guidance on issues affecting older people and their carers and their welfare rights
- Assessment and calculation of entitlement to benefits
- Information on social and emotional issues, legal matters (Wills etc)
- We provide Age UK information guides and factsheets free of charge
- We provide copies of the Northamptonshire Care Services Directory which can also be viewed online.
How does it work?
Contact us by telephone, email or letter. Or ask a trusted friend, family member, carer or other professional to contact us on your behalf with your explicit consent.
In the financial year 2022/23 our team of seven part-time workers
- received 3,753 enquiries (more than double the previous year)
- supported 1,454 new clients
- helped clients claim £2,450,430 in welfare benefits
- submitted 712 claims for Attendance Allowance for clients
- identified 93 clients as eligible to claim Pension Credit, 45 eligible for Housing Benefit, 114 for Council Tax Reduction and 16 carers eligible to claim Carers Allowance
- gave advice on other matters and signposted people to other services
The I&A Quality Programme has two main sets of benchmarks, which state that a service must show that it:
- provides consistent, relevant and effective advice to clients and demonstrates this by providing sufficient information in their client records.
- has clear and relevant systems and procedures in place to manage the delivery of consistent, good quality information and advice.
- monitors its services and seeks feedback from clients and stakeholders.
We hold the Advice Quality Standard, which provides you with assurance that we have met certain criteria that demonstrate a commitment to quality.
AQS website www.advicequalitystandard.org.uk