Age Concern urges pensioners to install insulation
28 November 2008
Age
Concern has urged pensioners to improve their insulation in order
to stay "warm and well" this winter.
The charity revealed that almost two-thirds of older people are
more worried about whether they will be able to stay warm this year
than last year.
This follows a year of energy price hikes and the prediction by the
Met Office of a winter that will be colder than in recent
times.
According to the charity the UK has the highest number of winter
deaths in Europe, while half of pensioners cut back on food and
heating as a result of the cost of living.
The charity has called on the government to do more to protect
pensioners to keep their heating bills down.
It ha also laid out some tips for over-65s.
Among them is improving the insulation of their homes, which now
can be done for free thanks to a government scheme.
The Office for National Statistics has revealed that there were
22,400 excess deaths in winter of older people last year.
