Supporting our community
As a global, value-driven company, with a culture based on the spirit of togetherness, it is our genuine belief that we must have a positive impact on people – and empower our co-workers, customers and partners to follow our lead.
As a group, our vision is to create possibilities for better living. Independent Age is an incredibly relevant charity partner based upon the work they do to improve the lives of older people across the UK.
Their main goal is to help older people maintain independence and live with dignity, choice and purpose. They work with older people to find the right solution to solve their daily problems, to ensure that as they grow older they have a fair chance of living the way they want, and not the way they have to.
There are around 13.5 million older people, over the age of 65, living healthy and happy lives. Sadly, however this isn’t the case for every older person:
2.1 million
live below the poverty line
1.5 million
have at least one unmet care need
1.4 million
say they are always or often lonely
Independent Age’s suite of guides responded to a need for clear, accessible and expert information and advice. This Scamwise guide provides older people with the tools and information to spot, avoid and report scams, and make confident and informed choices when faced with potentially fraudulent activity.
Since our sponsorship began, 9,345 guides have either been posted to, or downloaded by an older person or their family, so more people are now able protect themselves.
Through this service, Independent Age are able to maximise the income of older people by identifying unclaimed benefit entitlement and informing them how to go about claimed it. Their advisors also give advice on issues relating to health and care.
Our donation alone allowed for 70 enquiries to be answered and approximately £50,813.41 of income to be identified in the first three months of activation, meaning older people could focus on living rather than worrying about their financial of health situation.
“The helpline has helped me to understand about the money I am entitled to and gives the moral support you need when you’re living on your own; someone to talk things through with you and be a helping hand.
“I’m on Pension Credit now, which is an essential top up for someone without savings. Before I spoke to the Helpline at Independent Age, I didn’t know this existed. You don’t know who to ask for help. I don’t know what I would do without this.”
– Veronica, 84
Loneliness dramatically reduces older people’s quality of life, so we wanted to tackle this issue by donating money towards their Telephone Befriending Service. This is a service that matches an older person with a volunteer to have a phone call with once a week.
Our donation alone supports 70 matches for 12 months, providing older people with 3,640 hours of contact time.