Information and advice
The Information and Advice Service operates from the Agewell Centre at the rear of Lansdowne House and provides help for people throughout Leicestershire and Rutland.
Our aim is to provide practical help, advice and services for older people.
As part of our commitment we can:
- Offer advice, suggesting ways to solve difficulties or provide you with the addresses of people who may be able to help.
- Focus attention on issues of importance to older people, making certain that your voice is heard.
It is estimated that 7000 older people in the locality do not currently claim the financial assistance which they are entitled to - for example Attendance Allowance, housing benefit and help with dentists and opticians charges.
Currently, an average of 100 people per month are helped with enquiries about benefits and services, by trained Information and advice staff and volunteers. £1,000,000 in Disability Benefits and Pension Credit was awarded to older people in Leicestershire and Rutland because of the work of our staff and volunteers in the last 12 months.
We also advise people on funding and choosing residential or nursing care. Last year, 600 people were helped with specialist advice about care homes. The service is independent, confidential and free to older people and their carers in Leicestershire and Rutland.
The Community Legal Service Quality Mark, a national quality standard set by the Legal Services Commission, was awarded in January this year.
The work is paid for by local fundraising initiatives such as charity shops, raffles and special events and supported by a grant from the local authority. This does not pay for all the work that needs to be done, helping people get access to all their entitlements.
If you would like to volunteer your time to help form filling, information-giving, answering phone calls, or make a small donation to our work, please contact Fiona Barber on (0116) 2992233.
Being an information and advice volunteer
The Information and Advice department have a small group of volunteers who carry out home visits to service users around Leicestershire and Rutland to assist with the completion of allowance and benefit application forms.
Volunteers receive an induction when they join and spend some time shadowing Information and Advice caseworkers until they are competent to carry out visits unsupervised. Regular training sessions are held throughout the year to develop volunteers' skills.
Volunteers must be literate, good communicators, have excellent listening skills and patience in order to elicit personal and sensitive information from people in support of their applications. They must also possess a current driving licence and have access to transport to undertake these visits.
If you think you may be the sort of person we are looking for then please contact the Information and Advice department on 0116 299 2233 or email us