A retired teacher with arthritis and heart problems has been given a new lease of life by an agency which has helped clients secure £1 million in unclaimed benefits.
Grandmother Judith Williams, 80, is one of more than 5,500 people who was supported over the past year by Conwy and Denbighshire Care & Repair which serves an area stretching from Llanfairfechan to Llangollen.
The not-for-profit organisation, a subsidiary of the Grŵp Cynefin housing association, assists people aged 60 or over in privately owned or rented properties. The aim is to help them continue to live safely, warmly and independently in their own homes.
Over the past 12 months the charity, which covers the whole of Conwy and Denbighshire, has helped 276 people increase their welfare benefits income by a total of £931,813 and helped find funding for life-changing improvements, adaptations and advice.
Caseworkers helped Judith Williams secure the higher rate weekly Attendance Allowance of £110.40 after their inquiries revealed she was missing out on the benefit she was entitled to claim.
And the agency also funded key improvements to the former music teacher’s home, which she shares with husband Gwilym, 83.
Mrs Williams, from Penrhyn Bay, got in touch with Conwy and Denbighshire Care & Repair after suffering a fall at home. They fitted rails to the couple’s front and back doors and made improvements to the front steps.
Rails were also fitted on the stairs, in the hall and the porch, and in the downstairs toilet, and Care & Repair staff designed a renovation of the upstairs bathroom, turning it into a wet room with safety rails.
Though the couple paid for the bathroom work privately, the agency organised VAT and labour costs exemptions.
According to Mrs Williams, the organisation is “one in a million”.
“I fell by the gate trying to bring the bin in. I fell backwards, and two ladies who were passing, one was actually a paramedic, helped me up.
“They insisted I went to A&E because I had banged my head. The following day the neighbour across the road advised me to phone Conwy and Denbighshire Care & Repair.”
Mrs Williams, who taught music at Ysgol John Bright in Llandudno, said she was delighted the improvements had allowed her to remain in the house she had lived in for 38 years.
She said having the extra safety measures gave her more confidence around the house, especially when she looks after daughter Bethan’s children Megan, four, and Ifan, two.
Mrs Williams, a talented pianist who performs with Côr Alaw in Colwyn Bay, said:
“We look after our grandchildren on two days a week and they keep us busy around the house. You lose confidence after a fall, so having the rails helps, it makes me feel safer.
“I can’t bend then come back up without feeling breathless and dizzy, so it’s important to have the rails to hold onto. We had the front steps done, because they were high, and we had had two falls on the steps. The bathroom is just transformed now, it’s fabulous. It has a walk-in shower and handrails to help me.
“I was getting really bad at trying to climb over the bath for the shower, the shower was over the bath before. Without all their help, I don’t know how many falls I would have had.
“The workers who came here were brilliant, and every night they were cleaning up after themselves, I didn’t have to do a thing.”
Mrs Williams said she had never even heard of the Attendance Allowance, let alone that she was missing out on it.
She said she used the funding to pay for a cleaner and to have her ironing done.
Caseworker Amanda Derbyshire was pleased they had been able to make such a difference to Mrs Williams’s life, and said the support offered was typical of the work the charity can do.
She said:
“It all helps with independence and staying at home, which is what we all want. It’s about staying at home as long as possible, staying somewhere where you want to be.”
As well as contacting the NHS falls teams who gave advice, they got in touch with a local charity to give guidance to Mrs Williams, who is hard of hearing, on amplified telephone systems.
They helped the couple successfully apply for a Blue Badge parking permit, and the organisation even got the fire service involved, contacting them to check the Williams’s smoke alarms.
The fire service replaced the couple’s smoke alarms and gave safety advice.
Amanda said many people were not aware of the benefits they were missing out on, such as the Attendance Allowance.
She said:
“The Attendance Allowance is a non-means tested disability benefit for people of state pension age and they can claim for it if they’re having difficulties with day-to-day personal care tasks.
“A lot of people don’t want to see themselves as disabled or having difficulties but I always say it’s worth applying, because it can open the doors to other things such as Pension Credit.”
Chief Officer Lynda Colwell added:
“We also provide vital advice and guidance to help older people manage their energy use, reduce bills, and stay warm—especially important during colder months.
“Our work goes beyond the physical home; we support people to remain in their communities, which is crucial for their wellbeing and social connections.
“A key part of our service is reviewing household income to ensure that older people are not only heating their homes but also able to afford nutritious food.
“We help them access the benefits they are entitled to, which can significantly improve their quality of life and reduce feelings of isolation and loneliness. This holistic approach is at the heart of everything we do.”
