Better Later Lives
The Better Later Lives programme provided one-to-one, person-centred holistic advice to people experiencing a significant life event so that we could provide support before they hit crisis.
What was Better Later Lives?
Our Better Later Lives programme offered person-centred, holistic information and advice sessions to people experiencing a significant life event, so that we could provide support before they reached a crisis point. For 85% of the older people supported, these sessions took place in their home.
Examples of significant life events or changes include bereavement, a relationship breakdown, health problems, having a fall, becoming a carer, changes in housing needs or dealing with debt.
Where did the programme run?
The Better Later Lives programme was delivered by four local Age UKs across England:
What impact did Better Later Lives have on older people?
Between October 2018 and September 2019 Better Later Lives supported 987 older people with a range of issues that were important to them. 85% of these older people had a home visit from their advisor, which was double the initial prediction. As part of this work, we also identified £1.34 million in unclaimed benefits. This worked out as an average of £3,467.93 for each older person it applied to.
The results from our follow-up surveys suggest that holistic information and advice programmes like this can improve people’s sense of wellbeing and reduce feelings of loneliness. 49% of people we followed up with felt more satisfied with life and 57.4% of people who were identified as often lonely reported reduced feelings of loneliness after our support.