Information and advice

Age UK Somerset offers a free and confidential Information and Advice service for older people, their families and carers.

Age UK Somerset provides information and advice on a wide range of issues. We’ll provide you with the facts and you can make choices and decisions knowing you have reliable information.

Our Information & Advice service is available for people over 60 who live or work in Somerset and North Somerset. We also offer advice to family members who are supporting older relatives who are over 60 and live in Somerset and North Somerset.

The service is provided by a small staff team.

We can offer advice and information on a wide range of issues, including:

• Benefits and allowances, including Pension Credit & Attendance Allowance
• Help completing forms
• Housing
• Council Tax
• Priority debts, such as rent & utility arrears
• Social care services
• Care homes
• Lasting Power of Attorney
• Wills

If we cannot advise on an issue, we will try to find an organisation that can help. Unfortunately, we cannot offer legal advice or financial advice (i.e. advice about stocks, shares, investments, etc.) or on credit debts (i.e. commercial loans, overdrafts, HP, etc.). We also cannot offer advice on immigration or employment issues.

View the Information and Advice Statement of Service here

Help With Benefits

Age UK Somerset’s Information and Advice team provide an independent, confidential and free welfare benefits service for older people. We offer advice on benefits for people over 60. In the first instance we would talk with you about you eligibility for welfare benefits. If you qualify for any government welfare benefits we can work with you to make your claim.Age UK Somerset has a large team of Information and Advice Support Volunteers who donate their time to deliver this service.

Our volunteers work within their own communities to provide face-to-face help to complete some Benefit claim forms, eg, Attendance Allowance.  Our Volunteers would usually visit you at a mutually convenient time in your own home.

The Information and Advice Office Advisory Team can also arrange a Benefit Entitlement Check over the telephone to check your eligibility to means-tested benefits eg, Council Tax reduction, Housing Benefit, Pension Credit.

If you are receiving a State Pension we can help you with:

• Attendance Allowance
• Disability Living Allowance/Personal Independence Payments
• Carers Allowance
• Pension Credit
• Housing and Council Tax benefit