Attendance Allowance could help people who are severely short-sighted or have blurry vision. An estimated two million people across Great Britain are living with eyesight issues or a degenerative eye condition. More than 59,000 working age adults under 65 are receiving extra financial support through Personal Independence Payment (PIP) or Adult Disability Payment (ADP), while nearly 50,000 people over State Pension age are getting regular payments through Attendance Allowance.
Three out of four people with a visual impairment are aged over 65 with around 8,000 people of working age registered blind or partially sighted. For adults that lose their sight in later life, it can be very distressing as they feel they are no longer able to enjoy some of the activities they love to do, such as driving, taking part in sports, reading and cooking. Mobility can also be affected and with that may come independence and travel issues, although it’s important to be aware that the dedicated disability benefit for people over State Pension age - Attendance Allowance - does not include a component for mobility needs.
Attendance Allowance is a tax-free benefit delivered by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). It currently provides extra financial support to over 1.6 million people across Great Britain, including 143,724 living in Scotland.
The benefit is designed to help people of State Pension age with daily living expenses and can also help them stay independent in their own home for.