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Age UK Hertfordshire

Information and advice

We provide information and advice on a wide range of issues for older people, their families and their carers. We will provide you with the facts so that you can make decisions based on reliable information.

We can offer information and advice on:

welfare benefits and state pensions
housing options including care homes
equipment and aids
community care
health services
leisure and social activities

Call our countywide information and advice line on 0845 601 3446 or email info@ageukherts.org.uk.

Visiting scheme and telephone club

The visiting scheme is a free service which provides friendship and support to older people who feel lonely or isolated. Our visiting scheme volunteers visit older people in their home once a week, usually for an hour or so. They provide much needed companionship and support. When matching a volunteer with an older person, we take care that they have similar interests and are compatible. As with all our schemes, volunteers are Criminal Records Bureau (CRB) and reference checked.

If you would like to be referred to the visiting scheme (or just want more information) please call your nearest coordinator: East Hertfordshire/Borough of Broxbourne, telephone: 01992 631 989.

The telephone club is a free service providing friendship and support to older people who feel lonely or isolated. Our telephone club volunteers telephone older people on a weekly basis for social support and to help with any concerns they may have. All volunteers provide references which are taken up.

If you would like to be referred to the telephone club (or just want more information) please call your nearest coordinator: East Hertfordshire/Borough of Broxbourne, telephone: 01992 631 989

Home matters service

Home matters enables older people to organise and manage their personal finances and household administration. The service is free to all users and aims to enable people to remain independent for as long as possible. A member of our home matters team will visit you at home and listen to your concerns.

Our friendly home matters team can help with:

contacting utility companies
organising the payment of bills
setting up a bank account
form filling, for example, blue badge applications
looking at household budgets
organising a move

If we are unable to help we will signpost you to an appropriate agency who will be able to assist. Our home matters staff can visit you at home; either a single visit or a series of visits depending on your needs.

For a free and confidential service, contact your local coordinator: East Hertfordshire/Borough of Broxbourne, telephone 01992 747 957

Help in the home

What does help in the home involve?

Our home helpers can assist with general cleaning, vacuuming, laundry and ironing, collecting shopping or prescriptions and preparing light meals. You choose which tasks your home helper carries out for you each week, helping you to remain in control of keeping your home the way you like it to be.

How does it work?

Your home helper visits every week for as long as you'd like (minimum of 1.5 hours per week), to help with your household chores. You pay for the help you need by the hour, plus a one off pre-service visit and registration fee.

Who will my home helper be?

We have a very thorough recruitment process to ensure we have the best team for the job! All our home helpers are checked through references and the Criminal Records Bureau (CRB), and are covered by our insurance. Your home helper will be trained in health and safety, manual handling, first aid and food hygiene. We have a team of local home helpers, so we always endeavour to fill gaps in your service if your regular home helper is on holiday or unwell.

If you would like more information about help in the home contact your local coordinator: East Hertfordshire, telephone 01992 747959, or email helpinthehome.eh@ageukherts.org.uk.

Italian outreach

Age UK Hertfordshire has Italian speaking outreach workers supporting older people from the Italian communities in Hitchin, Letchworth and the Borough of Broxbourne.

The nature of the support is varied and includes: