Kenneth Gibson MSP is supporting Age Scotland’s new project, delivered alongside partners in the Unforgotten Forces consortium, to boost the health and wellbeing of veterans in Scotland aged 65 and older.
One in ten people in Scotland is an armed forces veteran or a veteran’s dependant, and the veterans’ community is also rapidly ageing, with 33% of its members aged 75 to 84 and 14% aged 85 or older.
The Age Scotland Veterans’ Project can help clubs, groups, or services identify and reach out to local older veterans, assist in accessing the additional support available to them, and can help people link up with veterans’ groups in your area.
Kenneth Gibson said:
“Loneliness and social isolation amongst veterans is a major issue and research shows that many have yet to benefit from the full range of local opportunities and support available to them. I am therefore keen to encourage any groups who work with older people to consider becoming veteran friendly and to make use of the excellent resources made available by Age Scotland.”
If you are interested in receiving the Veterans’ Project newsletter, inviting Veterans’ Project outreach staff to give a presentation, or promoting a group as a “veteran friendly” organisation, please email veteransproject@agescotland.org.uk or call 0333 3233 2400 for more information.
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