HELP the Aged was saddened to read (LET, February 27) about two women posing as charity workers stealing cash from a Clitheroe pensioner.

Unfortunately, many older people feel such an incident is inevitable and this is unacceptable by any standard.

Help the Aged provides its SeniorLink immediate response service to over 7,400 elderly people across the country -- designed to bring them peace of mind to older people and helping them to continue to lead an independent life in their own home.

By pressing a button the base unit or neck pendant, the client is immediately connected to the SeniorLink response centre, which operates 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year to answer any need.

SeniorLink can be purchased or rented and there are also a number of free units available to people meeting certain criteria. There is a monitoring and maintenance fee of £1.50 per week.

Call 01255 473 999 for an application pack. It could be of great benefit to older readers who are worried about maintaining their independence and personal safety at home.

LYSA RALPH, National SeniorSafety Manager, Help the Aged, 1 Pentonville Road, London N1.