Care home residents 'losing will to live' amid Covid restrictions in England

GB News ran a story on the importance of older people claiming benefits they’re entitled to. We provided a comment from Fran McSweeney - Head of National Services and a case study. The article covers the story of Dave, who had complications following treatment for prostate cancer. He rang the IA helpline where an advisor explained that he should claim Attendance Allowance which in turn made him eligible for Pension Credit which unlocked access to discounts and other financial support. Read the whole story here.

A coalition of 19 organisations, including Independent Age, have written an open letter to Jeremy Hunt urging him to increase Local Housing Allowance (LHA). The rates of LHA have been frozen since April 2020 and the chancellor has been warned that more people will be pushed into homelessness unless the freeze is ended. You can read the full article in the Telegraph here.

As part of Vodafone's ‘everyone.connected’ campaign, they have teamed up with Emma Willis to create a mini-docuseries called ‘Disconnected’. The articles in The Sun, The Independent, Express and over 50 other outlets covers the first episode and the research carried out by Vodafone. The series will explore the issues faced by those without internet connectivity as well as some of the charities working with Vodafone to help improve digital exclusion. Independent Age features in episode 3 with James Hails - Head of Partnerships and Philanthropy – speaking to Emma about our HiDigital collaboration with Vodafone UK. Emma also speaks to Ismeal, an Independent Age service user, who has benefitted from Independent Age’s help. The third episode can be watched here.

iNews spoke to Independent Age case study Michael Roberts, who was handed a Section 21 notice on the same day he received a cancer diagnosis. Michael had been renting his bungalow for 19 years but was given just 2 months to find a new home. Morgan Vine – Head of Policy and Influencing – gave a comment to iNews expressing her concern for Michael and the need for the government to bring the Renters Reform Bill before parliament to ensure better protection for the growing number of renters in the UK. Read the full story here.

The problems experienced by older people in financial hardship are varied and vast. Ahead of her starting as Independent Age's new chief executive Joanna Elson CBE, reflects on what can be done to ensure no one faces financial hardship in later life. Read the full article here.

iNews was put in contact with Independent Age media volunteer Micheal to do an interview about his struggles as an older renter.With rent of £850 he is unable to stop working and is constantly trying to cut back on costs where he can. The article also discusses Independent Age's new report - Hidden Renters: The unseen faces of the rising older rental wave - which highlights the link between renting and poverty in later life, with older private renters three times more likely to live in poverty than homeowners. The article also includes a quote from John Palmer, Director of Influencing and Engagement in which he urges the government to do more to protect older renters.

The Times spoke to Independent Age media volunteer Yvonne and used quote from Head Of Policy and Influencing Morgan Vine in this article looking at the triple lock. The article discusses the fairness of the UK pension system compared to other nations and the sustainability of the triple lock moving forward. Yvonne discusses her tight budget and the huge impact scrapping the triple lock would have on her quality of life. Read here.

Independent Age's new report - Hidden Renters: The unseen faces of the rising older rental wave Independent Age received widespread coverage across national and regional press, with almost 200 articles in total, as the piece was also syndicated by PA. The report found that one in five older renters can no longer comfortably afford what they owe with a significant number of those surveyed feeling anxiety about housing. You can read stories from the Daily Mail, The Independent and iNews .