IF YOU are a pensioner and you have problems of any sort -- benefits, housing, help at home, and so on --free advice is available on the end of a telephone line.

Counsel and Care runs a special advice line on which calls cost only the same as if you were ringing a local number.

Counsel and Care's advice workers receive many calls from older people and their families who are having difficulty in obtaining residential care or the funding needed to meet the cost.

If you are considering moving into a home or if you have an older relative who is, you may need independent advice on how to find the right home, the help to which you might be entitled to pay the fees, or what to do if you have a problem.

Our experience as a national charity tells us that many older people have difficulty in getting the information they need to make important decisions.

Counsel and Care will not only provide advice and information, but can also give on-going support and assistance.

If you would like advice on any topic, call our advice line -- 0845 300 7585 (open every weekday from 10am to noon and 2 to 4pm), or drop us a line at:

The Advice Work Department, Counsel and Care, Twyman House, 16 Bonny Street, London, NW1 9PG.