Hi J and Welcome to the forum, you might want to have a look at the following FAQ which explain where everything is
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I'm afraid it is up to the assessor to decide whether a face2face is deemed necessary, there are no exemptions for age.
You don't say whether the benefit involved is ESA or PIP, what to erxpect at the face2face is explained in the relevant guide
PIP help for claimants ESA claims and appeals You might wish to bookmark/favourite this on your web browser now so that you can find it easily in future. This will allow you to return with further questions or comments about your wife's claim without having to start a new topic each time. It helps us enormously when everything relating to the same claim is kept in one place - and I hope you will find it useful too