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Help the Aged offers a cautious welcome to research on winter mortality undertaken by the Department of Social Development.
Responding to the release of research today on factors influencing winter mortality, Michelle Bagnall, Policy Officer in Help the Aged stated
"We welcome this research and will be examining it in detail to see if it offers any new insights into why older people are more likely to die during the winter months. The research indicates that factors which impact on fuel poverty tend also to impact on cold-related mortality rates since fuel poverty is likely to leave people living in poorly heated housing.
"54% of fuel poor households are those aged 60 or over. This clearly indicates the need for the issue of fuel poverty amongst older people to remain a high priority for Government.
"It is a scandal that in the last ten years there have been 6201 excess winter deaths amongst people aged 65 or over. The number who died last winter is the highest it has been since 2000/01. The message is still not getting through about the magnitude of the problem."
Michelle Bagnall went on to say
"We would encourage older people to keep themselves warm and ensure that their homes are adequately heated. Help the Aged has published a booklet entitled 'Keep the Warmth In' which offers practical tips on staying warm this winter. To get a copy just contact Help the Aged on 028 9023 0666.
"In addition our SeniorLine service on 0808 808 7575 can check whether you are receiving all the income you are entitled to to help meet the additional costs incurred during the winter."
The excess winter deaths figure in Northern Ireland is calculated by the Northern Ireland Statistics and Research Agency and is deaths recorded in December - March minus the average of deaths in the preceding August - November and the following April - July.
Help the Aged is the charity fighting to free disadvantaged older people in the UK and overseas from poverty, isolation, neglect and ageism. It campaigns to raise public awareness of the issues affecting older people and to bring about policy change.
The Charity delivers a range of services:
These are supported by its paid-for services and fundraising activities - which aim to increase funding in the future to respond to the growing unmet needs of disadvantaged older people. Help the Aged also funds vital research into the health issues and experiences of older people to improve the quality of later life.
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