As Ms Dagger said, not many people are aware that older people are a social group suffering from the effects of poverty. After investigating the position, it is easy to see why this is so. Older people do not have a voice in their communities and while the majority of them cannot lobby for change on their own behalf, there is no one to do it for them.
Older people have different needs. The majority of older people in Ireland today are in good health. Many are members of clubs, groups and active retirement associations in their communities. However, many older people in society age faster and physically deteriorate quicker, leading to isolation and poverty. Not enough is being done to help these people and to include them in the community.
Many older people who live alone suffer from depression due to illness, poverty and isolation. Poverty leads to unfair treatment and inequality for older people. Those whose income and resources are so inadequate as to preclude them from having an acceptable standard of living are said to be living in poverty. How can we expect older people not to live in poverty when a pension is the only income they receive. The pension increase in the budget is generally lower than the household income increase. The increase pensioners receive, while improving the situation, does not keep up with the increase in the cost of living.
We decided to contact the citizens' information service located in Rathmines information centre to discover exactly the benefits to which older people are entitled through the Department of Social and Family Affairs. We established that older people are entitled to various allowances and pensions from the age of 55 to 65. Over 70s can avail of free electricity or natural gas, free television licences, free phone line rental, free travel cards and free medical cards, but we do not feel this is enough. Poverty among older people does not just affect the over 70s. We would like these benefits to be offered to all pensioners, even those under 70. Such benefits are not enough to survive on in these transient times.
Although some services are available to older people in the community, such as community centres, meals on wheels and bingo, these are extremely under-resourced. We urgently need more funds for older people to provide services in the community so that they will become more involved. Many of the older people we questioned expressed an interest in joining a club if the resources were available to them in their locality. If they joined a local club, this would reduce loneliness and isolation and bring older people back into their communities.
We found that problems with property maintenance were common. Over 50% of older people we surveyed were unhappy with their accommodation and felt it did not meet their basic needs. The majority of older people felt that they could not properly repair their homes and that it was difficult to find someone trustworthy and inexpensive to do the work for them.
More money needs to be invested in resources for older people such as community centres and care groups so that they can maintain their independence for as long as possible. We are in favour of community care rather than institutionalised care.
One of the groups in our project discovered that fear of living alone and crime are major issues for older people. Over 70% of those interviewed were fearful for their safety. As the threat of mugging lurks over them, many said that they were afraid to leave their houses. This leads to loneliness and isolation which, in turn, is a major factor leading to poverty among older people.