If WaveLength can’t help out, or if you need a different kind of support, this is a list of alternative services which may be able to assist.
Alternatives
If you need more support, or different types of help, have a look at these organisations. Some are ‘friends of’ WaveLength whom we often work with. Some are large national charities which have lots of resources for many people, while others offer support to various specific groups such as veterans or people living with certain illnesses or disabilities. Others are advisory services which can help beneficiaries to navigate new technology such as digital TV or the internet.
Older People – organisations supporting people over 65
Age UK – Charity offering information and advice for older people
Campaign to End Loneliness – Helps older people to avoid loneliness through a variety of routes
Friends of the Elderly – Financial grants and home support for older people living on low incomes
Independent Age – Charity offering financial and practical support for older people living on low incomes
WRVS – A network of volunteers supporting older people in their homes, and helping them to ‘get out more’
Disability Support – organisations supporting people with long-term access needs caused by disability or sickness
Disability Now – Group campaigning for disability and access rights
Disabled Living Foundation – Advice on independent living for people with disabilities or complex access needs
Mind – Grants, services, information and advice for anyone suffering from poor mental health
Scope – Practical services as well as advice, for people living with any kind of disability
Vitalise – Respite care and other services for disabled people, those suffering from Alzheimer’s or other long-term illnesses, and carers
Wirelesses for the Blind – WaveLength’s ‘sister charity’, providing radios and TVs for people suffering from blindness or sight impairment
Note: There are also several smaller charities helping people who live with specific disabilities. If you’d like information on help for a specific disability or illness, get in touch with WaveLength for a recommendation.
Technology – help with understanding, choosing and using modern technologies
Ability Net – Advice and equipment recommendations, designed to help people with various access needs to use computers and the internet
AT Dementia – Advice and product suggestions for assistive technology for people with dementia
Bigger Brighter Louder – Review of assistive technologies for older people
Digital Switchover Help Scheme -Government scheme offering advice and support on the digital TV switchover to people who are aged over 75, or who receive benefits based on disability (more information here)
Ricability – Independent consumer advice on digital equipment, for anyone
UK Online Centres – free and subsidised courses on computers, the internet and new technologies
Carers – organisations supporting unpaid carers
Carers Direct – NHS information page for unpaid carers
Carers UK – information, advice and campaigning for unpaid carers looking after family or friends
Domestic Violence – resources for victims of domestic abuse
Women’s Aid – The UK’s largest charity guiding victims of domestic violence through the practical and advisory services available, including a directory of refuges
Financial Support – specifically financial support, for a range of different groups
Buttle UK – Provides practical support and advice for those suffering from child poverty in particular
Elizabeth Finn Care – Grants and other financial support for people living on low incomes
Jewish Care – Health and social care support for Jewish people living in London and the South-East
Percy Bilton Charity – Provides grants for disabled and/ or older people to buy furniture, clothes and technological equipment
SSAFA – Practical and financial assistance for anybody who has ever served in the UK armed forces
St Pancras Rotary Club – WaveLength was founded by the BBC and St Pancras Rotary Club in 1939
Turn2Us – Helps anybody to decipher the UK’s benefits and grants system to maximise their support