Download An issue for older people

Fuel poverty:
an issue for older people
Mary Milne, Senior Campaigns Officer, Age UK
About Age UK
• Merger of Age Concern England
and Help the Aged in 2008
• Work in partnership with
independent local Age UKs and
older people’s groups.
• Provide information to over 5
million people, run commercial
services with over 1.1m customers
and have 530 retail shops.
• Campaign on issues that affect
the rights, wellbeing and dignity of
older people.
The numbers
• 31,100 ‘excess winter deaths’ last winter (England &
Wales)
• 9/10 deaths are of people 65+
• Average 24,000 additional deaths each winter
• That’s 16 x deaths from road traffic accidents
• More than 1 million older people in fuel poverty
(new definition)
The reality
‘I could only afford to have my heating on in the morning
for an hour or so and then at night. So through the day it
was horrendous, it was bitterly cold in this house, bitterly
cold. It was damp too – all my clothes were damp, even in
the wardrobe.
‘In the winter you put £25 a week on your gas, £20 a
week for your electric that’s £45 gone. That’s without
everything else. We don’t have luxuries in this house. I
don’t even have a carpet that fits. My priority is to try to
keep some warmth in the house.’
Causes of winter deaths
• Less than 1% due to hypothermia
• Small number of deaths due to
influenza, except in epidemic
years (eg winter ’89/90)
• Around 30% due to respiratory
illness (eg COPD, bronchitis)
12 day ‘lag effect’
• Around 40% due to cardiovascular
problems (heart attack, stroke)
3-7 day ‘lag effect’
This is preventable
• Many much colder countries have lower mortality rates
WHY?
• Cultural practices:
people know how
to keep warm
• Warmer, better
insulated houses
Cold homes
•
Excess winter deaths highest
among those living in the coldest
homes
•
UK housing stock among the
most energy inefficient in Europe
•
Older people tend to spend more
time at home
•
Fixed incomes have not kept
pace with rising energy prices
What is Age UK doing?
Local services to keep older people warm and well
eg Age UK Hillingdon ‘Get ready for winter’
- Information and advice on staying warm – flu clinics
- Blankets, hot water bottle covers, bed socks & emergency food
parcels
- Electric blanket exchange scheme
- Winter warmth lunch club
-
Information for professionals
Partnership work with others including Disability Association
Hillingdon, Hillingdon Carers, MIND, LBH Energy Efficiency team
What is Age UK doing?
Making older people aware of why their
health is at risk from cold and what they
can do to protect themselves:
• Keep living area at 21C
• Keep bedroom at 18C
• Keep bedroom windows closed
Using cold weather alerts
from the Met Office to let
older people know when cold
weather is expected
Home energy efficiency
The cost of insulating an
average home
is less than
a 4 week stay in hospital
What is Age UK doing?
We are
campaigning for
warm homes as
part of the Energy
Bill Revolution
alliance.