Older households need to get the support to which they are entitled - Brian Sloan

The scale and pace that household bills are rising is causing older people, especially those on low and fixed incomes, great concern and anxiety. Our conversations with them highlight that many just do not know how they will cope when their bills increase by 50 per cent.

Brian Sloan, chief executive, Age Scotland.

Rising living costs and the ongoing energy crisis are putting a strain on older households, with a third already living in fuel poverty. Heating your home shouldn’t be a luxury, it is an essential resource which supports our health and wellbeing. There are fears even more older and vulnerable people will be plunged into poverty without the financial support they are entitled to. At Age Scotland, we're determined to make sure older people do not miss out on any of the vital financial support they're entitled to.

Last year, Age Scotland’s advisors uncovered more than £500,000 in missing support for callers to their helpline. But we know this is just the tip of the iceberg, with at least £400 million in Pension Credit and other benefits like Council Tax Reduction going unclaimed by older people in Scotland each year. People will probably be shocked to hear that hundreds of millions of pounds in financial support for older people on low incomes goes unclaimed in Scotland every year. Many are missing out because they don’t know about it, find the process of claiming it daunting, or feel too proud to accept help. But they’ve paid into the system all their working lives and deserve to enjoy a decent standard of living in retirement. Even with support packages outlined, there's a very real risk that we’ll now see more people with less money in their pocket, in poorer health and being forced to cut down on other essentials or dip into savings in order to afford bills each month, potentially finding themselves in, or falling further into, debt as a result.

We want people to check in with Age Scotland to see if they or older family members are entitled to social security such as Pension Credit by calling our helpline on 0800 12 44 222 and using our free information guides. People have nothing to lose but perhaps a lot to gain.

Rising living costs and the ongoing energy crisis are putting a strain on older households already struggling to heat their homes

Coronavirus has taken a grim toll on Scotland’s older people, claiming thousands of lives while leaving many more in poor health, feeling isolated, or concerned about their future. Demand for our services continues to grow; with a 104 per cent increase in calls from older people and their families to our Helpline in 2020 compared to 2019. While there’s light at the end of the tunnel, the pandemic and its impact are far from over and making ends meet in the face of the price cap rise will be tougher than ever before. At Age Scotland, we’re working hard to make sure older people’s voices are heard and are at the heart of decision making. We are grateful to Cabinet Secretary for Finance and the Economy, Kate Forbes, and the Scottish Government for listening to our calls and ensuring that tens of thousands of pensioners on the lowest incomes, who might otherwise have missed out, are now included as it was announced that the £150 energy bill support payment will include people in receipt of council tax reduction, irrespective of which council tax band they live in.

Now is a time when it is more important than ever for us to come together for older people, ensure they have more money in their pockets and feel valued in society. It’s also vital that we all reach out to older people in our streets and communities this winter, as together we can all play our part in weathering the storm and making sure no one feels they are going through challenging and uncertain times alone.

Brian Sloan, chief executive at Age Scotland. Information and advice can be found on our website.