Older people’s commissioner lends support to benefits campaign

The Commissioner for Older People for Northern Ireland, Claire Keatinge, was in attendance at the Pensions Centre in Derry~Londonderry to commend the Make the Call team on the success of their recent Benefit Uptake Programme.

The 2012-13 Benefit Uptake Programme campaign saw almost 5000 older people benefit from an extra £17 million after “Making the Call.” The Commissioner has again agreed to support the campaign and makes a personal appearance in the television advertisement urging older people to “Make the Call.”

Claire Keatinge said: “Increased numbers of older people applying for, and receiving the benefits they are rightfully entitled to, is very good news. I welcome the efforts of the Department of Social Development to increase benefit take up by older people – and I will continue to support the ‘Make the Call’ campaign so that more and more older people, and those looking after them, receive the money that they should.

“Too many older people still live on incomes that make it difficult to get by. This can cause constant worry and can make it difficult for older people to keep warm, keep well and join in with all the family and community activities they wish to.

“Improving the numbers of older people who receive all the benefits they should can make a huge difference to their quality of life, so I would encourage every older person to get a benefit check, to ensure they are receiving all the benefits they are entitled to.”

Further information about the Make the Call Campaign can be found here, and for those who wish to make the call, should dial 0800 232 1271.