Scottish charity reaches out to older Armed Forces veterans

Were you in the armed forces and are over 60? Find out about a range of help, advice and services all free, and all designed to support you.

Are you aged over 60 and served in the Armed Forces? Would you like to know more about what benefits you can claim? Or have two years of the Covid pandemic left you feeling isolated and in need of social connection? Are you living with a health condition and could do with some support?

If that sounds like you, or someone you know, then Age Scotland has a one-stop shop to help. Age Scotland’s free helpline provides information, advice, support and friendship to older people across the country – and our expert advisers have specialised knowledge to help older veterans.

Once the adviser knows they are talking to a member of the ex-service community or one of their dependents, they can offer advice that is tailored to the needs of older veterans.

If you’re a former service man or woman and looking for some support, advice or friendship, then look no further.

Age Scotland has a range of up-to-date information and advice guides for older veterans, including the Veterans Guide to Later Life, Housing for Older Veterans, Combatting sight and hearing loss and Support for older LGBT+ veterans in Scotland. These free guides are available online and in printed form.

Helpline advisers

The charity also co-ordinates Unforgotten Forces, a partnership of armed forces and civilian charities dedicated to the health and wellbeing of veterans in Scotland aged over 60. Helpline advisers can let older veterans know what support partner charities can offer, such as health-related support and social opportunities.

Practical support

Callers could be referred to a partner charity, such as the Armed Services Advice Project, which recently supported Luke, a veteran, and his wife Mandy. Luke became Mandy’s carer when she fell ill. An adviser at ASAP looked into what benefits Luke and Mandy were entitled to and with the adviser’s support, the couple was awarded Personal Independence Payment, which provides money to help with everyday life if someone has an illness, disability or mental health condition.

ASAP also contacted Home Energy Scotland on behalf of Luke and Mandy which resulted in their home being fitted with a new central heating boiler, four radiators and energy-efficient cladding.

The final piece of support was for Luke who was feeling increasingly isolated after giving up work to care for Mandy. He was put in touch with Age Scotland’s Comradeship Circles service, which offers regular friendly telephone chats for groups of up to eight members of the ex-service community aged 50 and over.

Older veterans can also subscribe for free to the Unforgotten Forces magazine which features articles of interest to older ex-servicemen and ex-servicewomen and is published three times a year.

So if you want advice, information or just a chat, give the Age Scotland helpline a call on 0800 12 44 222 or visit the Unforgotten Forces website at www.unforgottenforces.scot