Why I choose to regularly support Age Scotland

Julia Aronsson, 30, started supporting Age Scotland in 2025. Originally from Sweden, she lives and works in Edinburgh. 

Julia started by giving occasionally, but then made the choice to become a monthly donor. Age Scotland spoke with her to learn more about why she chose to become a regular supporter. 

Why did you choose to support Age Scotland? 

Age Scotland often speaks about the loneliness older people face, and I found that was something I could relate to. Though I am only 30, I have already experienced periods of intense loneliness. I know the ways isolation can affect you, regardless of age. I also have a chronic illness, so in some small way, I know the feeling of your body no longer being able to do the things it used to be able to do uninhibited. 

These two things come together in my mind, and I think a lot about how the experience of growing older could be, because of the way our society is structured, a process of fading, of being replaced by someone younger or more able-bodied. 

Also, as a lesbian, I am culturally aware of the freedoms and benefits I can enjoy because of the struggles of people from previous generations. That knowledge extends to other struggles as well – so much of the life I enjoy is thanks to older people who fought for their (and my) rights. It only feels natural to be there for them now. 

I think growing older is something to be proud of, and if I can in any small way ease the burden of how our society treats the most vulnerable, then that's what I want to do. 

Age Scotland’s vision is that no older person faces the challenges of older age alone. What does this mean to you? 

It often worries me the way our society is constructed in a way so centred on the nuclear family and employment, because what happens when those securities disappear and leave someone on their own? 

Everyone should have the added safety of a community to surround and support them, just by virtue of being human, regardless of age. So, whenever I see older people living through financial hardship or isolation, it feels like we’ve set up a society that only values ‘usefulness’, and that to me is a failure. 

The ‘challenges of older age’ are challenges that anyone can face at any age, but they are often compounded as people grow older. I care about financial insecurity, loneliness, ill-health, and disability among my peers, so it’s only natural that that concern extends to older people too. This is why Age Scotland's work is important to me.

I want to live in a society where growing older isn't a slow fading into obscurity and quiet, but merely a continuation of your life with changes made to accommodate your ageing body and mind. 

What made you decide to start giving monthly? 

When I first donated to Age Scotland, it made me feel good to do something, however small, to make life better for older people.  

After that first donation, I signed up for Age Scotland’s newsletter and learned more about the great work you’re doing. And I realised that the factors that cause people to become vulnerable don’t just disappear when people age; in fact, they often get worse.

It won't change overnight. I realised that to make the kind of change I wanted to see, a monthly donation would go much further and make even more of a difference. 

How does being an Age Scotland supporter make you feel? 

Hearing about all the ways Age Scotland supports older people in Scotland is the perfect antidote to worrying headlines about things I know will negatively impact them. Age Scotland is there for all older people in Scotland and will be there for anyone else who needs their support. 

I get to know that my modest contribution goes toward providing relief to people who need it; people who aren't much different from me and are only separated from me by time.