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Hypothermia risk set to deepen |
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A charity has warned that axing universal Winter Fuel Payment could endanger older people’s health, as it reveals almost 900 people over 50 were taken to hospital for hypothermia last December.
Figures obtained by Age Scotland from the Scottish Ambulance Service show, at a time when the Winter Fuel Payment was a universal benefit received by all pensioners, hundreds of older people were rushed to hospital with hypothermic symptoms.
The charity says the decision to means test the benefit will force more older people to make risky and damaging choices to cope this winter.
On the eve of the UK Budget, it is calling for the UK government to retreat from its ‘rushed and ill-advised’ decision.
Chief executive Katherine Crawford said the figures are “shocking” and highlight the extreme risks pensioners - 85% of whom live in poverty in Scotland - face staying warm at home:
“Hypothermia is entirely preventable, and yet bitterly cold temperatures paired with the soaring cost of living were life-threating last winter.
“Now, with the loss of the universal Winter Fuel Payment, we are seriously concerned about an increasing number of older people reluctant or unable to heat their homes to a comfortable level for fear of running up unmanageable energy bills, putting their health in jeopardy.”
The charity points out that living in cold or damp conditions can put older people at high risk of flu and respiratory illness, as well and increase instances of heart attack and strokes.
It can also aggravate symptoms of underlying health conditions and cause them to worsen over time, according to the charity.
Ms Crawford says keeping people out of hospital by preventing illness should be a key focus for both the UK and Scottish governments – especially amidst the “unprecedented pressures” facing the NHS and social care.
She said: “Our message to the UK Government ahead of the Budget is clear – this is the last chance to save a vital means of financial support and ensure older people aren’t left in the cold this winter.”
Read more: Libraries offer light lift for low winter mood; Healthy ageing project receives funding boost
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