Older individuals ‘forced to skip meals’ throughout winter, charity warns | EUROtoday

Many older persons are being compelled to take “drastic measures” akin to skipping meals, utilizing much less heating or showering much less to economize this winter, Age UK has warned.

Research by the charity exhibits {that a} third (33 per cent) of over-65s are utilizing much less electrical energy this winter to make ends meet, whereas 35 per cent mentioned they’re turning down their heating.

Around one in seven (15 per cent) additionally mentioned they’ll have baths or showers much less usually, and one in 20 (5 per cent) mentioned they would want to skip meals.

Around 1.9 million outdated persons are already dwelling in poverty, the charity provides, with this determine set to cross the 2 million mark within the coming years with out motion.

Age UK mentioned it’s strongly encouraging new and current pensioners in 2026 to test what monetary help they could be eligible for this 12 months, launching its ‘crisis hiding in plain sight’ marketing campaign.

Many older individuals miss out on monetary help as a result of they assume they won’t qualify, or discover it daunting and troublesome to finish functions with out assist, the charity discovered.

Caroline Abrahams CBE, charity director at Age UK mentioned: “As a country we need to do a lot more to tackle poverty among older people, a social ill set to worsen as our population ages we fear, unless something changes and soon.

“Ultimately, we need to move to a position in which older people on low incomes do not have to jump through hoops to claim extra help but are given it automatically.”

The charity chief referred to as on the federal government to ‘turbo-charge’ its pension credit score take-up drive to make sure no pensioner is lacking out.

This is a profit for pensioners whose weekly earnings is under a certain quantity. It will prime up their incomes as much as £218.15 per week in the event that they’re single or £332.95 collectively per week for companions.

The DWP describes pension credit score as a “passport” profit, opening the door to extra monetary assist than simply the top-up. This consists of housing profit, help with mortgages, a free TV licence and, most just lately, the winter gas cost.

Around £1.6 billion value of pension credit score will go unclaimed in 2025/26, analysis group Policy in Practice just lately forecast, with over 750,000 pensioners lacking out.

Ms Abrahams mentioned: “Successfully claiming Pension Credit can turn your finances around if you are an older person struggling on a low fixed income, but the fact is that on the current figures its take-up has recently gone down rather than up.”

“For any older person trying to live on a small retirement income, every single pound counts and even a small weekly top-up could make a tangible difference, so if you reach State Pension age in 2026, or if you’ve been a pensioner for longer and have not yet looked into what you can claim, please contact Age UK to check your entitlement. We’re here to help.”