Helping you make the most of your retirement
Dignity Magazine is a bi-monthly, current affairs title. It was set up in August 2014 to help tackle the economic, health and social inequalities blighting the lives of Haringey’s pensioners. Many of whom are disempowered, disengaged and disenfranchised when in the past they were proud, active and productive citizens.
There are huge issues with pensioner poverty, loneliness and social isolation, and declining physical and emotional health. There are also massive problems with marginalisation. Some readers have told us that because of ageist attitudes, they have felt unable to participate in or contribute to society in any meaningful way once they hit state pension age.
At Dignity Magazine we aim to challenge this state of affairs by empowering our readers, whatever their age and wherever they live in the UK, to take charge of their lives and thrive. We achieve this through the provision of informative and engaging news stories, step-by-step articles and in-depth features encompassing a diverse range of subjects, such as money and pensions, employment and retirement, and health and social care. We also cover consumer, legal and welfare rights.
As each article is focused on tackling a specific challenge, most end with a mini guide offering practical solutions to that challenge so that readers can swiftly deal with their issue and get on with living their lives. We also break each subject down into manageable chunks to help everyone develop a thorough understanding of the topic and the issues that surround it.
pensions advice and guidance
We write extensively about the pension freedoms and cashing in pension savings. Drawing on the views of a range of retirement experts, we are able to provide pensions guidance to help people who are approaching their retirement maximise their future retirement income before they reach retirement age. We also write about pre-paid funeral plans, probate and power of attorney issues, among other things.
The UK's tax system is one of the most complicated in the world and it is easy to fall foul of HM Revenue & Customs' many rules. So we include an article on tax in every issue, courtesy of the charity Tax Help for Older People, to ensure readers are aware of their allowances and entitlements.
Health and Wellbeing
We write in-depth, preventative features on the health conditions that can hamper a person's ability to lead an enjoyable life, such as dementia, depression, incontinence, malnutrition, the menopause, prostate cancer and strokes. Brain health is a big topic for us.
We also write extensively on the different exercises that can help develop and maintain robust physical and mental health, prevent falls and hip fractures, and boost happiness. We also cover the anti-aging activities that can help keep a senior's immune systems fit and healthy, helping them fight off infections and inflammatory diseases.
As we also seek to boost our pension age readers’ emotional resilience and enhance their personal wellbeing, we write a lot about the social activities that can keep them active and engaged, in order that they have a happy retirement and continue to create fulfilling, meaningful lives for themselves and their families.
heating allowances and Other grants
A fifth of the UK population now lives in poverty. This equates to around eight million working age adults, two million pensioners and four million children. For that reason, we devote a number of pages of each issue to the many under-publicised heating allowances and other grants that are available to prevent some of the most cash-strapped households from being locked into poverty.
We also alert readers to the value-for-money deals that appear on the market to help everyone better manage their water, telephone, fuel and food bills, and build up some financial resilience.
Finally, we also include a number of 'quick-win' news stories in each issue. If readers follow the advice detailed in these and the step-by-step articles, they can quickly recoup the cost of their £24 subscription fee many times over.
