Older people have told how they are taking desperate measures to pay unexpected bills with research revealing one in five on a low income would find a £50 emergency cost ‘impossible or difficult’ to cope with
Cash-strapped older people say they are “in despair” forced to take desperate measures to pay emergency bills. Pensioners told of using their burial funds to pay unexpected bills and even pulling out their own teeth to avoid the huge dental fee.
According to new research by charity, Independent Age called ‘Surviving Not Living’, they found that a £50 emergency cost is ‘impossible or difficult’ for one in five older people on a low income to cover and more than half (52%) of the same group would struggle to pay an unexpected £250 bill without borrowing.
Independent Age is the national charity focused on improving the lives of people facing financial hardship in later life. It is estimated two million older people in the UK are living in poverty.
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‘I had to use burial fund to cover roof repair and pull out my own teeth’
Paul, 74, who lives alone in Kings Lynn and used to run his own installation company, told how he had to use his last savings, his ‘burial fund’, to pay for a roof repair. He told The Mirror: “I just live in despair to be honest, and just hope I die quickly. I’ve had enough of everything.
“I’ve got various health issues and this compounds things. It’s a struggle to keep your head above water. The cost of living – more appropriately the cost of existing – has left me physically and mentally exhausted.”
Even his health has suffered, Paul says, explaining how he had to pull his own tooth out to avoid a huge bill. He said he removed a molar in his lower jaw with a pair of pliers.
“It was very painful but I’d been quoted £450 to extract a tooth and £500 more for three fillings – the fillings still need doing three years later and a tooth I had to pull out myself in the end,” he said. “I’m still paying a mortgage which takes a large chunk of my pension every month. I’ve only got the old age pension to live on.”
Paul says his monthly income is £921 and he was coping until he went just over the threshold under the previous Tory Government, and now can’t claim pension credit, losing the thousands of pounds worth of help that comes with that. He explains he had a heart attack 12 years ago which left him needing stents and now has one half of his heart not working properly.
“I don’t smoke, drink or go out, I simply can’t afford to,” he said. “It’s not living, it’s existing and paying the bills. It’s so demoralising. The high costs of everything means it is a struggle to get by. I’m having to carefully monitor every pound spent and going without heating etc to try and save money.
“If costs continue to rise I do not know what I will do, I really despair. If I had a major expense I am not able to cope because I have no savings left or no income other than the pension.
“I had a leaking roof and water coming in the hallway and I paid my last money to have that fixed. I used my burial fund which wiped that out and the roof still leaks. I have no reserve funds left for emergency cover .
“I am single and live alone. I don’t smoke, I don’t drink, I don’t go to restaurants or even have a coffee out. I haven’t been on a holiday since 2002, and that was a three-day working holiday, but it’s still a struggle to survive.
“I can’t afford to go anywhere or do anything. If my cooker had to break down, I don’t know what I’d do, as I’m not in a position to buy a new one. That’s how bad things are.”
‘I’ve had to cut down on flushing the toilet and won’t turn my heating on due to cost’
Dorothy, 80, Doncaster said: “I live alone in council housing. My State Pension is around £800 a month but I’m struggling to live on that. I had some savings, but they’re all gone now on paying for essentials.
“I’m careful with my water and utilities usage. I strip wash instead of having a bath, and I’ve even cut down on flushing the toilet. I don’t turn my heating on, not even in winter if I can help it. After paying my gas, water and electricity, there isn’t much money left for anything else. If my car, fridge or washer broke down, I don’t know where I’d find the money to get them fixed.
“I’ve had a Pay As You Go smart meter for my gas installed now, so I top up £10 at a time. I try make my £10 last about three weeks. After paying my gas, water and electricity, there isn’t much money left for anything else.
“I compare prices and buy my groceries from whichever supermarket sells them the cheapest. Aldi, for example, is good for buying washing powder and other cleaning products at the lowest price. I’ve been living mainly on cereal and tin soup. I don’t buy meat, it’s too expensive. Sometimes I’ll get a bit of tuna or bananas as they don’t cost too much.
“I recently rang the Independent Age Helpline for a welfare benefit check. I was very worried when I called them as I had four weeks to go before my next State Pension payment– and I had no money to pay my water bill or even buy food.
“Independent Age was very helpful and told me I should be eligible for Attendance Allowance. They offered me an appointment to help me fill in the application form. That will certainly be a big help as I’ve read through the form and I’m really not sure how to answer the questions. The information they ask for is very detailed and after having a stroke last year, I can’t seem to put things down clearly. There are so many questions, it feels like they are trying to catch you out!”
The charity is urging the Government to introduce a national water social tariff in England and Wales. They also want the Warm Homes Discount to be increased to £400 to better reflect current energy bills.
‘The Government need to help the elderly cope with energy bills’
CEO Joanna Elson, CBE of Independent Age said: “Far too many older people on low incomes are simply surviving, not living. Every day at Independent Age we hear from those in later life making heartbreaking sacrifices just to survive: skipping washes to save on water, going to bed in hats and coats to stay warm, and surviving on a single small meal.
“We are no longer talking about the cost-of-living ‘crisis’. Crisis implies a temporary state but instead, high household costs and bills have become a permanent way of life that are decimating the budgets of pensioners in financial hardship. And because of this, a worrying picture has developed across the country.
“Our latest report shows that too many people in later life have little to no savings and are just one unexpected cost from financial disaster. For many, even an unexpected £50 cost is too much for their already stretched income, meaning they simply go without or get into debt…
“We are urging the UK Government to use the upcoming Budget to bring down household costs for those in financial hardship. Energy bills are a major source of pressure, older people on low incomes are feeling the pain every single day.
“In the short term, the UK Government should increase the Warm Home Discount from £150 to £400 so it better reflects the sky-high cost people must pay just to keep the heating on. In the long term, we need a more comprehensive targeted energy social tariff that permanently protects people on low incomes from future price spikes.”
The YouGov polling of people in Britain aged 65 and over commissioned by Independent Age found one in five (20%) reporting that they have no savings to fall back on. When asked how they would manage an unexpected but necessary expense of around £250, one in three (33%) said they would need to use a credit card to cover the cost.
The charity said a typical car bills could be £617 a year and a replacement boiler costs between £600 – £2,500. Other emergency costs can include replacing appliances like fridges and ovens, furniture replacements, and mending damaged fixtures like roofs and doors.
The charity says it has heard from older people who are going without items such as boilers, mattresses and fridges, because they cannot afford to repair or replace them.
A Government spokesperson said: “Supporting pensioners is a top priority. Our commitment to the Triple Lock means millions of older people are set to see their State Pension rise by £1,900. On top of this, we have expanded the £150 Warm Home Discount to six million households, seen water tariff support extended to 9 percent of all households and given an extra 57,000 pensioner households Pension Credit – worth on average £4,300 a year.”