Paramecium Brain

Full marks to the Department of Work and Pensions: I recently found that it was easy to change the destination of a pension payment from the Post Office (P.O.) to the bank - and it only took one phone call. An excellent arrangement! (Not impressed, though, by the recent changing of Pension Books to cards, requiring senior citizens to remember a four-digit PIN number.)
In addition, it seems that some other institutions do not consider the difficulties our senior citizens have when they work out their practices. Let me explain my grief for this week: The next step was to close and transfer outstanding funds from the Post Office into the bank account. (All these changes were made because the senior citizen could no longer walk as far as the aforementioned P.O.)
So... I phoned the P.O. advice number and was told I had to obtain a form from the P.O. This I did. Obtained two forms and completed them for two elderly friends. They must sign the back of the form. This was achieved with difficulty. One lady, aged ninety, is now partially sighted and the gentleman almost as old, is frail and ill in hospital. Still, the next step... back to the P.O. only to realise I did not have enough 'evidence' - needing proof of residence. Back to flat and yes.. that's sorted. So, now, I'm confident and return with the forms and all evidence to the P.O. The hard-pressed counter clerk fills in her forms and all is in train.
My elderly lady phones me about a week later. She has received an official letter saying that they cannot comply with her request to transfer her money to her bank account because 'You did not submit valid information in your application in two consecutive attempts' or words to some similar effect. This makes no sense to me and so I phone the number given. After due checks with the lady to confirm security, we are told that her signature is not the same as the signature used when she opened the account! This account was opened when she was decades younger and in good health and able to see clearly!
I recounted the story to another octagenarian who said, 'That's rubbish!'. I concur.
Now, the only way to manage the transfer of funds is to do a manual transfer - which needs a phone call to obtain a special code. Or, alternatively to arrange power of attorney ..
So, we made the call, got the code which is viable for 48 hours, and armed with cards and documents I set off to the P.O. to effect a large cash withdrawal.. except that the lady could not remember her PIN number and was totally unable to find the card she had written it on.
The only way to get a new PIN number is to make another phone call and wait for four working days. And then we'll have to try to arrange the special code again.
Isn't this unreasonable? Did the think tank who set up the arrangement have any notion of the problems for senior citizens having to remember PIN numbers, or that the signature of an elderly frail will undoubtedly look very different several decades later? 'Paramecium brain' sprang to mind. Another carer dubbed it 'elder abuse'.