You can obtain independent energy saving advice from the Energy Saving Trust Scotland. Please call their free phone on 0800 512 012.

You may also find the Home Energy Efficiency Programme for Scotland (also known as HEEPS) helpful. More information on this can be found on the Energy Saving Trust website under the Home Energy Scotland tab.

This is the new Scottish Government initiative to tackle fuel poverty and increase energy efficiency in homes.

Winter Fuel Payment is paid tax-free to help pay your heating bills if you were born on or before 5 January 1953.

Most payments are made automatically between November and December, so you should get your money by Christmas.

You usually get a Winter Fuel Payment automatically if you receive a State Pension or another social security benefit (not Housing Benefit, Council Tax Reduction, Child Benefit or Universal Credit).

To find out if you are eligible, please follow the link here.

Associated materials

• Local help to make your home warmer or more energy efficient

If you are finding it difficult to cook for yourself, you may be eligible for our meals at home service.

The meals are provided to the Council by Apetito, a company who supply frozen meals locally in East Lothian. For more information on what is available, please follow the link here.

If you are interested in using the meals at home service, please contact your local council on 01875 824309 to request an assessment by one of our social work staff.

The service is available to vulnerable people of all age groups in the county, such as elderly people or those with physical or learning disabilities. For further information, please click here. Unfortunately there is no longer a hot meal delivery service available.

It is also worth checking if your local shops, cafes or restaurants are able to provide a delivery service.

You have answered that your clothes sizes have increased in the last 3-6 months.

If this has happened without you trying to, and is something that you would like help with, you may find that exercising or participating in group activities may help. If you don’t feel confident, we have found going with someone you know might make you feel more comfortable.

East Lothian Council offer a scheme which gives price reductions on sport and leisure activities. To find out more, you can contact your local sports and leisure centre in East Lothian through 'Enjoy Leisure' (Leisure and sports facilities).

For more information about the this scheme, please click here or contact your local facility using one of the numbers below. 

Aubigny Sports Centre - 01620 820650
Dunbar Leisure Pool - 01368 866040
Loch Centre - 01875 824140
Meadowmill Sports Centre - 01875 619079
Mercat Gait Centre - 01875 815483
Musselburgh Sport Centre - 0131 653 5208
North Berwick Sports Centre - 01620 820730

The Enjoy Leisure website, which you can access by clicking here, contains information about healthy living, getting active and how to eat healthier. Everything you need to take life on, one step at a time.

Weight management support and advice is available at your GP Surgery, mainly through an appointment with the practice nurse. There is also a weight management service for people whose BMI (Body Mass Index) is over 30. This will require a referral from your GP.

If you wish to stop smoking there are people you can contact for help with this.

There is a freephone NHS smoking helpline 0800 022 4332, open seven days a week 7am to 11pm.

If you wish to stop smoking in East Lothian, you may find the Support to Quit Smoking service of benefit, which can be contacted on 0131 537 9914.

NHS support for people trying to quit smoking is available at all community pharmacies, and there are also drop in clinics at community centres, run by a team of specialist nurses who can be very flexible in providing face to face or telephone support to both individuals and groups. For more information, please click here.

You can also contact Stop For Life on the above local number or text or phone 07771 975 453. The areas that are covered are:

• Dunbar
• East Linton
• Gullane
• Haddington
• Musselburgh
• Newcraighall
• North Berwick
• Prestonpans
• Tranent
• Wallyford
  

As part of the Fire Scotland commitment to building a safer Scotland, the fire service offer everyone in Scotland a free home fire safety visit. If you would like to request a free fire safety check, please contact the Fire Service on 0800 0731999 and ask for the Community Fire Safety Department.

If you say that you are calling to request a fire safety check they will arrange this for you. The length of time that you wait for this service will depend on the demand that the fire service have at the time.

There is no charge made for this service at the current time and they will fit smoke alarms free of charge where required.

You can also contact your local East Lothian Fire Station by using the information below.

Contact information
Phone: 0131 228 2401
Text: FIRE 80800

You can also complete an online request for a Fire Safety Check by following the link here.

East Lothian Community Alarm Telecare Service (ELCATS) is a landline, telephone-based system which you can use to summon help, call assistance, or give you reassurance 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

The main role of the Community Alarm Telecare Service is to obtain help for an older or disabled person when an emergency arises.

The user has a pendant button that is worn around the neck or on the wrist, which is connected to an alarm receiving centre, where there is always a call operator on duty to respond immediately. The service relies on a network of local contacts and, where possible, they require you to provide them with the names of at least two local key-holders, who can be called upon if required to check on you.

To help you and your key-holder further, the service is supported 24/7 by response staff from East Lothian Emergency Care Service (ECS). The call operator can call them out to assist you and/or your key-holder if required.

The pendant has a range of about 50 meters and will cover the area of the average house and garden.

There is a small charge for this service.

For more information please contact the Community Access Team using the following information.

Contact information:
Organisation: East Lothian Community Alarm Telecare Service
Phone: 01875 824 309
Email: communityaccess@eastlothian.gov.uk
Address: Adult Wellbeing, East Lothian Council, Randall House, Macmerry Business Park, Macmerry, East Lothian EH33 1RW

Associated materials

• East Lothian Community Alarm Telecare Service

East Lothian Community Alarm Telecare Service (ELCATS) is a landline, telephone-based system which you can use to summon help, call assistance, or give you reassurance 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year.

The main role of the Community Alarm Telecare Service is to obtain help for an older or disabled person when an emergency arises.

The user has a pendant button that is worn around the neck or on the wrist, which is connected to an alarm receiving centre, where there is always a call operator on duty to respond immediately. The service relies on a network of local contacts and, where possible, they require you to provide them with the names of at least two local key-holders, who can be called upon if required to check on you.

To help you and your key-holder further, the service is supported 24/7 by response staff from East Lothian Emergency Care Service (ECS). The call operator can call them out to assist you and/or your key-holder if required.

The pendant has a range of about 50 meters and will cover the area of the average house and garden.

There is a small charge for this service.

For more information please contact the Community Access Team using the following information.

Contact information
Phone: 01875 824 309
Email: communityaccess@eastlothian.gov.uk
Address: Adult Wellbeing, East Lothian Council, Randall House, Macmerry Business Park, Macmerry, East Lothian EH33 1RW

If you are having difficulty with any aspect of taking medicines, then you can ask your GP about the option of a ‘blister pack,' which is a free NHS service.

Blister packs provide clearly marked day and dosage times, and all the medicines you need to take at one time are together in an individual section, making taking medication much easier.

Your GP will provide a prescription and will request that your medication is dispensed on a weekly basis from your local pharmacy. Some pharmacies can arrange delivery of blister packs.

There is also equipment and services that you can privately purchase to help with things like:

• making tablets easier to take out of containers
• remembering to take medicines at the right time
• organising each dose
• alerting that a dose has been missed
• pill crushers

You can find out more about the products available by visiting The Disabled Living Centre, where you can look at and try equipment and get advice about what might work for you.

To find out more and arrange a visit to The Disabled Living Centre, please use the details below.

Contact information
Phone: 0131 537 9190
Address: Astley Ainslie Hospital, Edinburgh

You can also visit the independent living shop All Mobility to view and privately purchase medication aids. To get in touch, please use the following information. 

Contact information
Phone: 0131 629 0081
Address: 187 North High Street, Musselburgh, EH21 6AN

The East Lothian Council Community Alarm Telecare Service can also offer some technology options to remind you to take you medication.

Options include:

• a reminder message that can be recorded onto your Community Alarm Home Unit
• an automatic medication dispenser that will bleep to let you know your tablets are due

This equipment can be linked to the Community Response Team at the alarm-receiving centre (ARC), or it can be provided not-linked (stand-alone). A small charge may apply for this service.

To refer for this service, please contact our Adult Well-being Social Work team on 01875 824309.