[United Kingdom] Millions of pensioners living below poverty line

from the Scotsman

MILLIONS of pensioners are malnourished, living below the poverty line and unable to afford to heat their homes in winter, research showed today.

The National Pensioners Convention (NPC) said an estimated 2.2 million older people, the equivalent of one in five pensioners, currently lived below the poverty line, the same number as in 1997.

At the same time, it said about 1.5 million pensioners were malnourished or at serious risk of malnourishment, while another 1.5 million said their house was too cold in winter.

The Age Audit, which was based on Government statistics and major pieces of research into the lives of elderly people, also found that an estimated 22,000 people died as a result of the cold last year.

The group said about five million pensioners suffered from a long-term illness that restricted their daily life, while 7.2 million did not have access to free public transport.

But at the same time it estimated that retired people actually saved the taxpayer £24 billion a year through providing unpaid social care and childcare, and through doing voluntary work.