Temperature Check your Winter
Published on 24 October 2024 04:08 PM
On Sunday 27th October the clocks ‘fall back’ and while we gain an extra hour in bed, we also gain shorter days, longer nights and colder weather. For some, this can be a worrying time of year filled with concerns over costs of heating your home, eating warm, nutritious meals and often, dealing with feelings of loneliness. Local charity, Age UK Norfolk, is launching a new campaign encouraging Norfolk residents in later life to ‘Temperature Check your Winter’.
With the changes to the Winter Fuel Payment, it’s more important than ever that people in later life are prepared for the coming Winter months. This might include checking your welfare benefit entitlements to maximise your income alongside other practical measures like ensuring your boiler is serviced and in working condition, ordering sufficient fuel like oil and preparing for bad weather.
As part of their campaign, Age UK Norfolk are able to provide support with welfare benefit checks for benefits including Pension Credit, help understanding and applying for the warm home discount and help completing forms for benefits. The Charity also has several useful guides on topics such as ‘winter wrapped up’, ‘healthy living’ and your ‘mind matters’.
“We have put together a check sheet to encourage thinking ahead with ideas for self-help but also detailing how we as a local charity can support you. As well as contacting our telephone advice line, we know that having the option of a face-to-face conversation is really important so you will also find our information and advice team members at various events across the county over the following months, where we will be giving away free room thermometers to help you ‘Temperature Check your Winter’.”
Emma Harkness - Head of Information and Advice
The Charity’s room thermometers are a handy tool to monitor the temperature of your home with the Age UK Norfolk telephone advice line details also then close at hand. For vulnerable older people, a change in room temperature can present several health risks including increasing the chances of contracting flu, other breathing problems and raising your blood pressure. Age UK National recommend that older people heat their main living areas to a steady and comfortable temperature, usually around 18 degrees. This should be comfortable for areas like the living room and bedroom.
“We anticipate this being a busy period for Age UK Norfolk as we approach the Pension Credit deadline for Winter Fuel Payment claims (21st December 2024) but we are here to help. Anybody who is feeling uncertain about the coming months can contact our telephone advice line for help; if we cannot take your call immediately, please do leave us a message and we will call you back.” added Emma Harkness.
Download our handy Temperature Check your Winter resources
For information and advice about getting prepared this Winter, please contact Age UK Norfolk on 0300 500 1217 / advice@ageuknorfolk.org.uk (Monday to Friday 10am to 4pm).