Boosting the health and well-being of armed forces veterans aged 65 and older is the focus of a new Veterans' Project from Age Scotland.
The charity is enhancing its flagship Helpline for older people (0800 12 44 222) to offer the best possible service to older veterans and their families.
Jo Wakeley, the project's Veterans' Rights Officer based in the Helpline, says: "Our Helpline team is friendly, and you can trust us to provide high quality information, advice and support. We're specialist in benefits and care matters, and are developing our advice provision for older veterans. We're also a gateway to support from many other organisations: if we can't help, we'll make sure someone else can."
Many of these other organisations sit alongside Age Scotland in 'Unforgotten Forces', a 15- strong consortium of charities funded by the Aged Veterans' Fund that includes the likes of Legion Scotland, Scottish War Blinded, Action on Hearing Loss and Poppy Scotland.
Doug Anthoney, Veterans' Project Lead Officer, says: "Because we belong to Unforgotten Forces we are able offer older veterans so much more than Age Scotland could on its own.
From free holidays for older veterans with a welfare need, courtesy of Poppy Scotland's Break Away service, to Scotland-wide advice and support for older veterans with hearing loss or tinnitus, and their families and carers, through Action on Hearing Loss, to free taxi journeys for veterans with transport difficulties from Fares 4 Free.
"To benefit from what's on offer from the Age Scotland Veterans' Project and from Unforgotten Forces, it's not necessary to have had a career in the regular military. Doing national service, being a reservist, or sailing as a merchant mariner in support of a military operation can all entitle someone, and their dependents, to additional help and support."
The above information is from a Fife Carers Centre Newsletter May 2018 Issue 76 I picked up at my Doctors practise