Business & Money: Pensioners are hit by poverty

from Sunday Life

One in every four pensioners in Northern Ireland is living below the poverty line.

And the number suffering from malnutrition is rising steadily.

The shock statistics mean many OAPs face misery during the Christmas period and beyond. Some are already having to make a stark choice - between eating or heating.

Last winter, 449 people over the age of 65 in Northern Ireland died from cold-related illnesses.

The staggering total is one of the highest in Europe. A recent survey initiated by Help the Aged revealed that across the province:

* 20pc of pensioners stay in bed longer to keep warm

* 16pc turned off their heating because they were worried about the cost, and

* 14pc wore outdoor clothing indoors to keep war.

Joanne McKeirnan, the charity's communications officer in Belfast, told Sunday Life: "It's a national scandal so many people over-65 are put at risk every year. We want to see an end to means tested benefits and an increase in the basic state pension to a liveable level."