I start my day at 6.45am if I’m on the early shift and 7.15am if I’m working later. I live in Exeter so drive to work over the picturesque Dartmoor Hills, which always puts me in a good mood. Before I leave I make myself a packed lunch – our office is fairly remote and this means I don’t have to drive into town.
I work for Age UK’s national advice line, a free and confidential telephone service that supports older people, as well as their families and friends, by providing information and advice on everything from work, money matters and housing issues to care and health. Forty people work in the contact centre, which is open every day of the year from 8am to 7pm.
Anyone who calls comes through to a level one customer service representative, but if they need detailed information they are transferred to my department, level two, which provides specialised advice. I oversee the team along with another manager, which allows us to give the service the high level of attention it needs.
We speak to all sorts of people, from those who are struggling to receive practical support at home, to people who don’t know what funding is available to help them to pay for care. We specialise in advice regarding care rights and regulations, and are able to support people to get the services they need. We recently helped a man who needed to move into a care home and thought he needed to sell his property to pay for this. He was extremely worried, but we reassured him that this was not correct for his situation, providing him with advice on the best action to take. He told us he and his wife slept better that night than they had in weeks!
We regularly deal with calls from older people who feel lonely and want someone to talk to. Age UK offers a number services that can benefit older people who feel they have no one to turn to; our local Age UK partners offer a range of hands-on services such as lunch clubs for older residents living nearby.
We aim to empower people and support as much as we can, but sometimes signpost to a specialist organisation that can advise on a particular area. The time we spend with someone on the phone can make such a difference: we are often able to help people claim pension credit or benefits they were unaware of and regularly hear how valuable this extra income has been. It is also crucial to create a supportive environment for advisers, so I have frequent debrief sessions with the team to discuss calls.
Afternoons are for meetings or coaching sessions with the team. Due to the scope of information we provide, we hold regular training and reading periods to ensure the team are kept up to speed with new legislation affecting older people’s rights and entitlements. The issues are often complex and I need to ensure that the team are confident giving high-quality advice to people who come to us when they don’t know where else to turn. Training sessions can involve listening to recorded calls and reviewing written enquires to establish what is going well and what may need to be done differently to improve our services.
I have been at Age UK for 13 years and I’ve always had a passion to help other people. I started work in the NHS as a manager but soon realised that I wanted to work more directly with the people we were helping. After working for two mental health charities I applied to work for Age UK Kensington & Chelsea. There I became a welfare rights officer, where I was able to develop my passion for older people’s rights, before joining the information and advice team at Age UK.
The nature of our work means we deal with confidential data and information, so the last thing I do each day is check that the office cabinets are locked and secure, before driving home.
Each day brings a new set of responsibilities and to unwind I enjoy swimming or diving. I love the beach, but in the colder months I will be curled up at home with a good book or working on some driftwood art. Sometimes work can play on my mind, though I am reassured knowing that the lives of older people are made better by our work. I am immensely proud of the work we do and feel grateful to be part of it.
As well as the free Age UK advice line, the service also includes a multitude of guides and factsheets.
