Age UK Reveals The Challenges Older People Face This Winter

A new report ‘We have to take it one day at a time’, launched by Age UK as part of their new campaign ‘Spread the Warmth’, shows the enormous challenges faced by many millions of people aged 50 and over this winter.

Over the past three years Age UK has conducted six waves of research into older people’s health and care. Initially, this was focused on the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic, where we heard about how much older people were struggling with accessing healthcare, managing their own physical and mental health, taking part in community life and caring for others.

Age UK’s latest report shows the extent to which these challenges are having serious impacts on older people and their wellbeing :

Cost of living

• Nine in ten (91%) over-50s, equivalent to 23.4 million people overall, said they were worried about the cost-of-living increases to some extent. People aged 50-59, those who were more disadvantaged, from minoritised ethnic groups, living with long term health conditions and unpaid carers were most likely to report being severely affected.
• Three in four (75%) over-50s, equivalent to 19.3m people overall, said they have been turning down their heating and/or reducing the hours they use their heating.

Health

• Two in five (40%) over-50s, equivalent to 13.3 million people overall, said they were worried they wouldn’t be able to heat their home enough this winter.
• Nearly one in five (19%) over-50s, equivalent to 4.8 million people overall, said they were worried they would not be able to eat enough this winter.
• More than one in five (22%) of people aged 50-59 are worried about being able to afford their prescriptions.
• More than one in ten (13%) over 50s, equivalent to 3.3 million people overall, said they were worried about being able to afford care and support.
• Almost a third (31%) of over 50s, equivalent to 8 million overall, said their health had got worse in the last 12 months, with three in five (59%) saying an existing health condition had got worse.

Unpaid Carers

• One in six (15%) of over-50s were caring for someone else: more than a third of these unpaid carers (34%) were expecting the amount of care or support they provide to increase, while one in five (20%) were worried about whether they would be able to continue providing care or support.

Winter

• More than two in five (44%) over-50s, equivalent to 11.3 million people overall, said they were concerned or very concerned about this winter. Women (50%), those aged 50-59 (51%), from more disadvantaged groups (51%), from minoritised ethnic groups (53%), living with long term health conditions (57%), and unpaid carers (51%) were all more concerned than their counterparts.

Caroline Abrahams, Charity Director at Age UK, said: “The way some policy makers talk, you’d think the cost-of-living crisis was over, but our new research shows just how out of touch they are. The rate of inflation may have slowed down but prices for most everyday items are still very high and continuing to rise, putting many older members of our society in a really difficult position. Whether it’s pensioners struggling to pay their bills on their fixed low incomes, or people in their fifties in poorly paid jobs, or out of the labour market altogether due to ill health, caring responsibilities or unemployment, anxiety about making ends meet and getting through this winter is incredibly widespread.

“For older people who are retired and especially those living on their own, loneliness and social isolation are often year-round problems, but winter can be particularly difficult as darker days and inclement weather make it harder to keep up social connections, with knock-ons for their mental health. Winter increases the physical health risks for older people too, due to slips and falls on icy pavements and because getting cold in an under-heated home raises blood pressure and thereby exacerbates lung and heart problems as well.

“Our polling shows that millions of older people are so worried about the impact of high energy prices this winter that they are rationing their heating use, to ensure they can afford their bills. Yet staying adequately warm is crucial for their health and it’s extraordinary, and really rather shameful, that for the third winter running there are so many older people at risk of being chronically cold. We must not allow this to become the ‘new normal’ – in the longer term we need a social tariff for energy to provide vulnerable groups with permanently discounted bills, but in the short term, this winter, the priority has to be helping older people just to get through. That means not only getting them the financial help they need through helping them claim all the benefits they are due, but also providing friendship and support – which is what we at Age UK aim to do.”