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Joyce

Your donation could help show older carers like Joyce they're not alone

1.6 million older people are going without the care they need, and 2 million carers are older themselves. Here's how, with your support, Age UK is working to be here for them.

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The challenge 

Everyone should get the high-quality care they need to live well as they grow older. But with our care system in crisis, millions are going without essential support - and they and their carers are reaching breaking point. 

1.6 million

older people struggle every day without the care they need

2 million

carers in the UK are older themselves

70%

of older carers feel under strain

Joyce's story

Joyce, 77, cared around the clock for her husband David, 79, after he suffered a severe stroke. Every day, she got up, took him to the bathroom, shaved him, washed him, dressed him, put him in his wheelchair and tried to keep his spirits up.

"Physically and emotionally it’s such a strain and it absolutely drains you, but I did it because I love David."

Thanks to our supporters, Age UK offers a lifeline for Joyce and thousands of older people like her. Through the Age UK Advice Line, we provide trusted advice and reassurance, as well as kindness, compassion and connection through our telephone friendship services. And we’re campaigning hard to fix our broken social care system.

"If it wasn’t for Age UK and their wonderful services, I really don’t know where I would turn."

The solution

Age UK provides expert advice, practical support and friendship, as well as campaigning to make older people's voices heard. Thanks to our supporters, in 2021:

205,796 calls

We were able to answer 205,796 calls to our expert Advice Line

22% about care

22% of all the enquiries we received to our Advice Line were about social care

180,573 friendship calls

We supported 180,573 telephone friendship calls to older people in need of kindness and companionship.

The impact

Age UK is at the heart of the drive towards better care, now and in the future. Your support could help us continue this vital work for older carers like Joyce and Rasila.

"Age UK makes you feel that you’re connected to someone, that somebody does care." - Joyce, 77

"People will normally ask how my sister is, but they never ask how I am. Age UK did, and that meant a lot." - Rasila, 71

As our population continues to age, the need for care is only going to increase and so is the call on our services. 

Your support is crucial in making people like Joyce feel that people really do care.

£15 could could help make telephone friendship calls to some of the most vulnerable older people.

£20 could help us campaign for older people’s voices to be heard, and make social care and its reform a priority.

£50 could help train an adviser to provide support for an older person when they aren't receiving the care and support they need.

Heart icon Thank you for helping us be here when we’re needed most

Your donation could fund vital services which older people like Joyce rely on every day, as well as help us achieve essential social care reform and help future generations.

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Age UK provides a range of services and your gift will go wherever the need is greatest. 

Sources for statistics

'1.6 million older people are going without the care they need': Age UK analysis of the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing (ELSA) Wave 9 and ONS mid-year population estimates for 2020. The data was collected from a representative sample aged 65 and older living in and estimates were scaled up to the English population aged 65 and older.

'2 million carers are older themselves' and '70% of carers feel under strain': Age UK analysis of Understanding Society (UKHLS) Wave 11 (January 2019 to December 2020) and ONS mid-2020 population estimates. The figure is based on responses from people aged 65 & over in the UK that are extrapolated to UK-wide population figures. The responses were weighted to be representative of this age group in the UK population as advised by the Understanding Society User-Guide documentation.

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