Dora qualified for her state pension and was looking forward to her retirement. She had been in low paid employment but had managed to save a small amount and secure a modest private pension. Unfortunately, ill health struck leaving her reliant on paid carers as she lived alone and had no close relatives. Home visits were arranged and the adviser supported Dora for several months. She completed an Attendance Allowance claim form on Dora’s behalf, calculated her entitlement to Pension Credit and Council Tax Reduction and ensured these applications were correctly processed. Help was also given to gain a refund on substandard goods Dora had bought, to make a complaint to a financial institution and to reduce her energy bills by switching tariffs and applying for a Warm Home Discount. Dora commented that the home visiting service had been a true lifeline and without this support, to increase her income and reduce her expenditure, she would probably have fallen into debt. She said the stress of her ongoing disability was so overwhelming she would have been unable to achieve these outcomes herself.
