Beneficiary Survey Results 2006

IndependentAge Beneficiary SurveySpring/Summer 2006

Background

• IndependentAge is a non-governmental charitable organisation that helps older people on

low incomes to live with dignity and peace of mind by providing them with:

– a regular extra income for life

– volunteer visitor support and friendship

– grants for emergencies and equipment

– equipment to aid independence

– Holidays

– clothing and bedding

– interest free loans to home owners for repairs and renovation

– help covering the shortfall between fees and local authority contributions for residential and nursing home care for existing beneficiaries

Research Objectives

• To explore among IndependentAge respondents the main issues that they face in

order that the charity:

– Remains in touch

– Is aware of the day to day changes affecting them

– Accurately reflects their worries and concerns

Research Methodology and Response

• IndependentAge beneficiaries invited to take part in the survey via a structured self-completion questionnaire despatched with their spring copy of The Golden Link magazine

• Questionnaires despatched to 6,000 respondents

• 2816 Questionnaires returned by post using pre-paid envelopes

General Questions

The majority of respondents were female

Male24%

Female76%

Base: All respondents supplying gender information

73% of respondents were aged over 70 with 37% aged over 80

50-594%

60-658%

66-7014%

70-8036%

80+37%

Under 501%

Base: All respondents supplying age information

A good geographic spread with the majority of responses from the South of England

North of England21%

Central England16%

South of England49%

Northern Ireland1%

Wales3%

Republic of Ireland

4% Scotland6%

Base: All respondents supplying region information

45% of respondents indicated that the previous 12 months had been worse whilst 41% indicated that it had been better

No Answer14%

Better41%

Worse45%

Base: All respondents

The majority of respondents have a weekly income of between £101 and £150

£201-£2509%

£151-£20021%

£101-£15055%

No answer4%

£100 or less11%


Better financial security, increased support and seeing more of family and friends key to improved feeling of well-being

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

Better financial security

Increased Support

Seeing more of family and friends

New activities

Improved health

Change of circumstances

Holidays

%


Better financial security and increased support more important to male respondents than female respondents

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35

Better financial security

Increased Support

Seeing more of family and friends

New activities

Improved health

Change of circumstances

Holidays

%

Male Female


Improved financial security more important for those aged over 65. New activities less important for the oldest respondents

Under 60 60-65 66-70 70-80 80+

% % % % %

Better financial security 15 22 32 32 30

Increased support 21 24 28 27 25

Seeing more of family and friends 16 20 23 24 23

Improved health 12 13 17 15 15

New activities 10 14 12 13 7

Change of circumstances 8 14 14 12 9

Holidays 7 10 9 11 8


Improved financial security key in all regions apart from Scotland and Ireland

Scotland North Central South Wales Ireland

% % % % % %

Better financial security 21 35 33 28 26 30

Increased support 28 25 25 26 24 22

Seeing more of family and friends 20 24 24 22 21 25

Improved health 19 13 15 14 12 32

New activities 12 9 10 11 10 13

Change of circumstances 9 10 10 12 8 8

Holidays 14 9 9 9 9 12


Better financial security at a slightly higher level among those with higher weekly income

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Under £100 £100-£150 £151-£200 £210-£250

%

Base: Those supplying weekly income figure

The consequences of declining heath and increasing bills are most likely to impact negatively on well-being

0 10 20 30 40 50 60

Frustration at being able unable to do things I used to

Declining health

Increasing bills

Increasing reliance on others

Being unable to afford the things I used to enjoy

Losing friends and loved ones

Unable to go on holiday

Being lonely and isolated

Caring responsibilities

Fear for personal safety

%


Males more concerned than females about increasing bills, females more concerned than males about losing friends and loved ones

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Frustration at being able unable to do things I used to

Declining health

Increasing bills

Increasing reliance on others

Being unable to afford the things I used to enjoy

Losing friends and loved ones

Unable to go on holiday

Being lonely and isolated

Caring responsibilities


%

Male Female


Concern about declining health and its consequences

tends to increase with age, concern about rising bills

most likely to be mentioned by younger respondents Under 60 60-65 66-70 70-80 80+

% % % % %

Frustration at being able unable to do things I used to 53 48 49 50 61

Declining health 59 51 45 49 56

Increasing bills 59 62 52 44 31

Increasing reliance on others 42 29 27 31 45

Being unable to afford the things I used to enjoy 44 50 48 34 22

Losing friends and loved ones 24 21 30 31 38

Unable to go on holiday 26 28 23 20 20

Being lonely and isolated 13 17 13 12 14

Caring responsibilities 13 13 8 9 7

Fear for personal safety 4 11 9 9 8


Concern about declining health and its consequences are issues across most regions


% % % % % %

Frustration at being able unable to do things I used

to

55 55 56 53 58 52

Declining health 45 54 51 53 55 34

Increasing bills 41 42 46 41 41 42

Increasing reliance on others 39 38 35 36 40 32

Being unable to afford the things I used to enjoy 30 30 38 34 25 39

Losing friends and loved ones 28 32 30 38 34 38

Unable to go on holiday 21 20 24 21 24 17

Being lonely and isolated 13 14 12 13 11 15

Caring responsibilities 12 9 7 8 14 8

Fear for personal safety 11 9 8 8 9 10Base: All respondents supplying region information

Staying Independent

A safe neighbourhood with good local shops and nearby post office considered key community issues

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Safe neighbourhood

Good local shops

Nearby post office

Reliable bus/train service

Well maintainedpavements

Good street lighting

%


A safe neighbourhood slightly more important to males than it is to females

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80

Safe neighbourhood

Good local shops

Nearby post office

Reliable bus/train service

Well maintainedpavements

Good street lighting

%

Male Female


A safe neighbourhood and good local shops of most concern to younger respondents.

Under 60 60-65 66-70 70-80 80+

% % % % %

Safe neighbourhood 73 81 79 73 66

Good local shops 67 68 65 66 59

Nearby post office 47 48 42 54 51

Reliable bus/train service 36 43 51 52 37

Well maintained pavements 41 31 28 28 32

Good street lighting 24 23 22 21 23


A safe neighbourhood important in all regions


% % % % % %

Safe neighbourhood 78 74 70 71 71 70

Good local shops 64 57 69 65 59 62

Nearby post office 55 49 53 50 54 49

Reliable bus/train service 51 45 45 45 44 34

Well maintained pavements 22 31 31 32 23 26

Good street lighting 24 30 21 20 24 19


Help with household/chores & repairs considered the key practical requirement

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Help with householdchores/repairs

Help with shopping

Help getting out and about

Support from socialservices

Personal assistance/helpcaring for yourself

Equipment to help get youaround the house

%


Females more concerned than males about domestic

issues. Males more concerned than females about

support from social services and personal care

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70

Help with householdchores/repairs

Help with shopping

Help getting out and about

Support from socialservices

Personal assistance/helpcaring for yourself

Equipment to help get youaround the house

%

Male Female


60-65 year olds most likely to indicate that help with household chores/repairs. No specific trends in other areas

Under 60 60-65 66-70 70-80 80+

% % % % %

Help with household chores/repairs 49 64 57 55 59

Help with shopping 36 43 31 36 46

Help getting out and about 47 42 28 30 38

Support from social services 38 29 34 33 31

Personal assistance/help caring for yourself 49 30 25 26 32

Equipment to help you get around the house 32 23 24 21 21


Help with household chores and repairs of more significance in the

North of England and Scotland. Support from social services of

more importance in Wales and Ireland


% % % % % %

Help with household chores/repairs 62 62 57 57 51 53

Help with shopping 39 42 41 40 36 35

Help getting out and about 35 37 37 32 37 33

Support from social services 34 29 33 31 42 45

Personal assistance/help caring for

yourself

31 31 31 28 41 23

Equipment to help you get around the

house

18 23 23 22 18 22


Adequate financial support the key financial requirement

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

Adequate financialsupport

An adequate statepension

Help with financial affairs

%


Males slightly more likely than females to indicate that adequate financial support is key

0 20 40 60 80 100

Adequate financialsupport

An adequate statepension

Help with financial affairs

%


Although financial concerns are important to all, they tend to decline by age

Under 60 60-65 66-70 70-80 80+

% % % % %

Additional financial support 91 88 89 84 79

Adequate state pension 60 84 84 80 76

Help with financial affairs 62 57 58 51 48


Additional financial support key in all regions


% % % % % %

Additional financial support 86 84 83 83 87 75

Adequate state pension 78 79 79 79 78 69

Help with financial affairs 54 53 50 51 57 52


Support from IndependentAge, keeping in contact with friends and relatives, good health and a supportive key to health and well-being

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

Support fromIndependentAge

Keeping in contact withfriends and relatives

Good health

Supportive GP

Getting out and about

Support from neighbours

%


Support from IndependentAge more important for males than females. Keeping in contact more important to females than it is to males

0 20 40 60 80 100

Support fromIndependentAge

Keeping in contact withfriends and relatives

Good health

Supportive GP

Getting out and about

Support from neighbours

%

Male Female


Support from IndependentAge the most important factor

irrespective of age group. For respondents under 60 a supportive

GP receives is of higher significance than it is for other groups

Under 60 60-65 66-70 70-80 80+

% % % % %

Support from IndependentAge 75 83 81 84 80

Keeping in contact with friends and relatives 60 67 60 65 64

Good health 30 45 54 52 43

Supportive GP 66 56 48 43 46

Getting out and about 48 43 42 45 40

Support from Neighbours 17 12 9 15 21


Support from IndependentAge recognised as key across all regions. Getting out and about more crucial in Ireland


% % % % % %

Support from IndependentAge 83 83 84 81 77 78

Keeping in contact with friends and relatives 68 65 71 62 64 54

Good health 46 46 51 47 52 51

Supportive GP 45 50 49 46 38 43

Getting out and about 44 41 39 44 42 50

Support from Neighbours 14 16 11 18 16 24


Three-quarters of respondents worry about becoming dependent on others

Yes (worry)75%

No answer6%

No (Don't worry)19%


Females more likely than males to worry about becoming dependent on others

30

35

40

45

50

55

60

65

70

75

80

Male Female


Those in their 50s the most concerned about becoming dependent on others

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

Under 60 60-65 66-70 70-80 80+


Declining health clearly considered most likely to put independence at risk

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

Declining Health

Fear of rising bills

Unable to care for the garden

Unable to get to the shops

House repairs becoming a burden

Closure of local post office and shops

Dealing with bureacracy

Poor transport service


%


After declining health males are more likely than females to indicate

that financial and bureaucratic issues might affect their

independence whilst females are more likely to stress getting to the

shops

0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90

Declining Health

Fear of rising bills

Unable to care for the garden

Unable to get to the shops

House repairs becoming a burden

Closure of local post office and shops

Dealing with bureacracy

Poor transport service


%

Male Female


Declining health and fear of rising bills of most concern to younger respondents, domestic issues of more concern to older respondents

Under 60 60-65 66-70 70-80 80+

% % % % %

Declining health 90 89 83 84 83

Fear of rising bills 60 56 46 45 30

Unable to care for the garden 20 31 26 31 35

Unable to get to the shops 19 21 24 31 35

Closure of local post office and shops 16 26 25 31 30

Dealing with bureaucracy 33 30 28 24 27

Poor transport service 10 15 16 15 13

Fear for personal safety 18 18 13 12 12


Declining health key across all regions


% % % % % %

Declining health 82 88 85 85 90 80

Fear of rising bills 48 41 42 39 42 56

Unable to care for the garden 32 32 32 29 31 31

Unable to get to the shops 23 30 28 34 27 19

Closure of local post office and shops 30 26 24 32 33 17

Dealing with bureaucracy 29 25 24 28 25 27

Poor transport service 14 13 16 14 16 10

Fear for personal safety 14 15 15 10 13 22


Declining health a major concern irrespective of age

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

Under 60 60-65 66-70 70-80 80+

Rank 1 Rank 1 Rank 1 Rank 1 Rank 1 Rank 1


Fear of rising bills of most concern to younger respondents

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Under 60 60-65 66-70 70-80 80+

Rank 2 Rank 2 Rank 2 Rank 2 Rank 4


Caring for the garden of more concern to older respondents

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

35

40

Under 60 60-65 66-70 70-80 80+

Rank 4 Rank 6 Rank 5 Rank 3= Rank 2=


Making Ends Meet

The majority of respondents have a weekly income of between £101 and £150

£201-£2509%

£151-£20021%

£101-£15059%

£100 or less11%

Base: Those answering

Just under half of respondents spend more than £25 a week on food whilst just under a quarter spend between £21 and £25

£21-£2523%

£16-£2019%

£11-£158%£25+

48%

£10 or less2%


Just over half of respondents spend more than £30 a month on heating each month whilst a further quarter spend between £21 and £30

£30+51%

£21-£3025%

£11-£2019%

£10 or less5%


89% of respondents support an increase in the basic state pension

No Answer7%

No4%

Yes89%


76% of respondents think that pensioners should automatically receive retirement benefits without means testing

No Answer8%

No16%

Yes76%


Keeping in Touch

Two-thirds of respondents live alone

No answer1%

Live with others32%

Live alone67%


68% of respondents see their friends or family at least once a weekly basis – A quarter see them daily

Monthly13%

Fortnightly7%

Weekly43%

Varies/Other1%

Once a year varies

7%

No answer4% Daily

25%


Over 90% of respondents know their next door neighbours

Know neighbours

91%

No answer2%Do not know

neighbours7%


84% of respondents who know their neighbours speak to them at least once a week – 38% speak to them every day

Varies/Other/DK1%

Every month10%

Every week46%

No answer3%

Never2%

Every day38%

Base: All respondents who know their neighbours

30% of respondents who live alone do not see friends or relatives at least once a fortnight

Never3%

Less than once a week27%

Weekly43%

No answer2%

Varies/Other1%

Daily24%

Base: All respondents living alone

Caring Responsibilities

Around 1 in 8 respondents have caring responsibilities

No answer6%

Do not have caring

responsibilities81%

Have caring responsibilities

13%


Amongst those aged 65 or under this rises to 1in 5

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

Under 60 60-65 66-70 70-80 80+

%


In the majority of instances respondents are caring for a relative

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

Relative Friend Neighbour

%

Base: All respondents with caring responsibilities

Where respondents are caring for others, over half indicate that this is for more than 50 hours a week

No answer11%

50+ hours56%

Less than 35 hours33%

Base: All respondents with caring responsibilities

Over half of those with caring responsibilities do so for 50+ hours irrespective of age

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

Under 60 60-65 66-70 70-80 80+

% c

ari

ng

fo

r 5

0+

ho

urs

Base: All respondents with caring responsibilities supplying age information

Service Awareness

Little awareness of Individual Care Budgets, LinkAge or Warm Front

0 20 40 60 80 100

Winter Fuel Payment

Citizens Advice Bureau

Council Tax Benefit

Pension Credit

The Pensions Service

Direct Payments

Warm Front

LinkAge

Individual Care Budgets

%


• For more information on these survey results, please email [email protected]