Help the Aged was a

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

based international

charity Charity may refer to: Giving * Charitable organization or charity, a non-profit organization whose primary objectives are philanthropy and social well-being of persons * Charity (practice), the practice of being benevolent, giving and sharing * Ch ...

founded in 1961 by Cecil Jackson-Cole and Hugh Faulkner to help disadvantaged older people who were affected by poverty, isolation and neglect. It merged with

Age Concern Age Concern is the banner title used by a number of charitable organizations (NGOs) specifically concerned with the needs and interests of all older people (defined as those over the age of 50) based chiefly in the four countries of the United King ...

in 2009 to form

Age UK Age UK is a registered charity in the United Kingdom, formed on 25 February 2009, and launched on 1 April 2009, which combined the operations of the previously separate charities Age Concern England and Help the Aged to form the UK's largest cha ...

Organisation and campaigns

Help the Aged had national offices in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. As of 2005 the Charity employed over 1,800 people and had an income of £75 million per year. The Charity was an active campaigner on a number of issues affecting older people including: * Elder Abuse *Poverty among older people * Health and Social Care * Neighbourhoods * Pensions and Benefits * Isolation and loneliness On 26 June 2008, and after years of campaigning by Help the Aged, the British Government announced new legislation aimed at making

age discrimination Ageism, also spelled agism, is discrimination against individuals or groups on the basis of their age. The term was coined in 1969 by Robert Neil Butler to describe discrimination against seniors, and patterned on sexism and racism. Butler d ...

illegal. Equalities Minister

Harriet Harman Harriet Ruth Harman (born 30 July 1950) is a British politician and solicitor who has served as Member of Parliament (MP) for Camberwell and Peckham, formerly Peckham, since 1982. A member of the Labour Party, she has served in various Ca ...

unveiled the first draft of the Equalities Bill in Parliament to outlaw discrimination through the provision of goods and services on the basis of age. Help the Aged also conducted a high profile campaign on Fuel Poverty, which affects an estimated 3 million pensioners in the UK. A household is deemed to be in fuel poverty when more than 10% of its income is spent on heating the house to an adequate standard of warmth. Fuel poverty, caused by low income and non energy-efficient housing, is thought to be a main cause of excess winter deaths.

Research into Ageing

''Research into Ageing'' is a

medical research Medical research (or biomedical research), also known as experimental medicine, encompasses a wide array of research, extending from " basic research" (also called ''bench science'' or ''bench research''), – involving fundamental scienti ...

trust that was the research arm of Help the Aged. It operates ''The Disconnected Mind'', a research project that seeks to improve the lives of older people by unlocking the causes of age-related mental decline.

intune group

In 2007, Help the Aged launched ''intune group'', a new financial services brand. The service exists as a wholly owned subsidiary of the Charity and offers tailored financial services products including home, car and travel insurance. The charity launched the initiative to remove age discrimination as a barrier to older people wishing to access certain financial products. Any profits generated by the company go towards the charity's work.

Merger

In May 2008, Help the Aged and

Age Concern England Age Concern is the banner title used by a number of charitable organizations ( NGOs) specifically concerned with the needs and interests of all older people (defined as those over the age of 50) based chiefly in the four countries of the United Ki ...

announced plans for the two charities to merge. Following consultation, this was confirmed in September, when

Dianne Jeffrey Dianne may refer to: People *Dianne Brushett * Dianne Buswell *Dianne Byrum *Dianne Chandler *Dianne Cunningham *Dianne de Leeuw *Dianne Feinstein *Dianne van Giersbergen, Dutch singer *Dianne Haskett *Dianne Heatherington *Dianne Holum *Dianne Jac ...

was confirmed as the new chair of trustees. Tom Wright CBE, then chief executive of VisitBritain, was appointed Chief Executive of the new charity in November 2008.Third Sector, retrieved 12 March 2009
/ref> He is also a Trustee of the

Imperial War Museum Imperial War Museums (IWM) is a British national museum organisation with branches at five locations in England, three of which are in London. Founded as the Imperial War Museum in 1917, the museum was intended to record the civil and military ...

. The merged charity – known initially as Age Concern and Help the Aged, but now branded

– was formed on 1 April 2009.

References

External links

www.helptheaged.org.uk
{{DEFAULTSORT:Help The Aged Charities for the elderly based in the United Kingdom 1961 establishments in the United Kingdom 2009 disestablishments in the United Kingdom