Help the Aged is an international charity dedicated to creating a world where older people can live their lives free from poverty, isolation and neglect. Funded by individuals, companies and trusts, we carry out research, campaign for improvements in policy and practice and provide practical services to help older people stay independent.
| Help the Aged in the UK
We run a number of services which support older people in their own homes. HandyVan - a service which installs security equipment in the homes of vulnerable older people - is particularly valued by its users. As well as increasing older peoples' security and enabling them to remain confidently in the own homes, the HandyVan service has helped to save a life: Lynn Dorey, our HandyVan fitter for Lambeth, fitted a carbon monoxide detector for an older lady living alone in Streatham. Later the same week, Deborah Leonard at our HandyVan headquarters answered a call from the lady who said the alarm had gone off and wouldn't stop. Deborah found out that the alarm had started after a new gas heater was switched on. Deborah advised her to open all her doors and windows, immediately call Transco (the national gas emergency service on 0800 111 999) and leave the property. She was reluctant and thought the alarm must be faulty, but Deborah convinced her it was better to be careful. Transco condemned the new heater and advised her that if she had gone to bed with her windows closed, she would not have survived the night.
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| Help the Aged overseas
Miss Mua, from Vietnam, is 64 years old. She looks after her six year old granddaughter. Her two sons are living with HIV. One of them - the father of her granddaughter - is in prison for drug smuggling. The other one is in a rehab centre for drug use. Miss Mua is a member of the Empathy Club for people infected and affected by HIV which is supported by the Help the Aged Sponsor a Grandparent scheme. The club was set up by the Vietnam Women's Union. Miss Mua says ‘I really wanted to join so I could share my experiences with others in similar circumstances, so I could support them and they could support me.' 
She says, ‘The Empathy Club is invaluable. It provides a space for comfort, sharing and encouragement. Before I joined the club, people treated me very differently. Now my neighbours understand my circumstances, so I'm not worried anymore.'
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The four national Age Concerns in the UK have joined together with Help the Aged to form new national charities dedicated to improving the lives of older people. Age Concern England (charity number 261794) has merged with Help the Aged (charity number 272786) to form Age UK, a charitable company limited by guarantee and registered in England: registered office address 207 - 221 Pentonville Road, London, N1 9UZ, company number 6825798, registered charity number 1128267. Age Concern and Help the Aged are brands of Age UK. The three national Age Concerns in Scotland, Northern Ireland and Wales have also merged with Help the Aged in these nations to form three registered charities: Age Scotland, Age Northern Ireland, Age Cymru.
For more information, please contact:
Wills and Legacies, Help the Aged, 207-221 Pentonville Road, London, N1 9UZ
Tel: 020 7239 1965
email: legacies@helptheaged.org.uk
