I'm really worried about my DU (Uncle). He's 58, been a mechanic all his life working in small backstreet garages. Never earned much (£12ph was his top pay). Stupidly never saved or paid into any pension schemes. Still has a small mortgage.
He was made redundant 12 months ago (no redundancy pay as he was a contractor) He then went self-employed, did a few jobs but Covid came along...no work, no income, no help from Gov as he was newly SE. Since then, he's been spiralling into a black hole. He has no job, no premises to work from, no money in the bank and is really down about his life and what to do.
We suspect he had Covid early this year as he spent a few weeks in bed with a cough & the symptoms. Or it may have been flu. He hasn't been right since. He's really aged and just doesn't have the stamina that he used to. He said he just physically can't do that job anymore, especially with the targets you have to meet for booking in hours, the cold, the dust & the physical demands of the job. His age a contributory factor too.
I've told him to look into retraining or exploring other job options, but I think he's totally lost & can't get going. He says no one will want him as he's too old & has no qualifications.
He's been a mechanic since he was 15...never been UE & that's all he knows. He said he has absolutely no interest in the car industry anymore as it's changed so much over the years & physically he can't keep up anymore.
I want to help him because he's sinking. He's got another 10 years of working before he could even consider retiring (and that will be state pension). Where do I even begin? Is there any hope for him?
He's a very confident, chatty, helpful & intelligent person. He's great at problem solving & a perfectionist (I know that sounds cliche). He's a type A personality.
Can anyone point me in the right direction please?