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1
in 5 older people in the North West fear cold homes will damage
health
SURVEY
statistics released by the British Gas Help the Aged Partnership
reveal 1 in 5 older people in the North West are concerned their
health may be at risk because their home is not warm enough during
the winter.
The findings, from ICM Research, also reveal 1 in 11 older people in
the North West are living in cold homes throughout the coldest
winter months. The survey is part of the Partnership’s
campaign to end excess winter deaths among the older population and
highlights the affliction of fuel poverty that blights the lives of
a growing number of older people. Latest Government indicators
predict as many as 2 million older people are now fuel poor.
While older people struggle to heat their homes, the Government’s
pot of unclaimed means tested benefits for older people stands at
£4.5 billion. These benefits are a vital key to help lift pensioners
out of fuel poverty and into a warmer and healthier winter.
The Partnership is calling on the Government to introduce the
automatic payment of benefits and invest more funding in
face-to-face benefits advice, similar to the British Gas Help the
Aged Benefits Advice Programmes in Preston and Barrow-in-Furness.
Recent studies, by the London School of Economics showed that
through this programme around 50% of those eligible for additional
benefits could receive enough financial support to cover all their
heating costs and that by not claiming pensioners could be losing up
to £50,000 in benefits over a lifetime.
Anna Pearson, British Gas Help the Aged Partnership spokesperson,
urges older people to claim their benefits now. “It is a
scandal that last year in the North West 3,300 older people lost
their lives to a preventable cold-related illness and that 1 in 5
are living in cold homes, worried about their health. Recent
indicators that fuel poverty levels are on the rise prove Government
is not just frozen in its tracks to tackle fuel poverty, it’s
sliding backwards. We are urging local older people to claim
their benefits today. With individual pensioners possibly eligible
for up to £50,000 over a lifetime, our message to older people is:
you’ve got to claim it to gain it!”
A voucher for a benefits check from the Department of Work and
Pensions can be found in the Partnership’s free “Your Winter Warm
Up” pack, along with tips and practical tools on how to keep
warm and well, including thermometers and information on home
heating grants and programmes.
June Whitfield, campaign Ambassador encourages older people to order
a pack today. “To date the British Gas Help the Aged
Partnership has distributed around 60,000 packs and around 115,000
thermometers to older people throughout the UK. The pack includes
vouchers for benefits checks and as a result, thousands of older
people have already called up to request a phone or face-to-face
benefits check from the Department of Work and Pensions – a vital
first step to ensuring they are receiving the vital cash needed to
stay warm and healthy in the winter. The pack also includes
tips on how to keep warm including how to eat and dress for the cold
and how to save money by accessing free heating and insulation
schemes. The “Your Winter Warm Up” pack is a key resource for
all older people this winter.”
To order the Partnership’s free “Your Winter Warm Up” pack
please call 0845 020 1234 (at a local low call cost), visit
www.helptheaged.org.uk, or
alternatively, pick up a pack from your local Help the Aged shop.
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Britain’s stressful roads send motorists into a rage
IT'S official,
Britain’s roads are full of angry and stressed out motorists, and
it’s not just men that are seeing the red mist as research reveals
women feel angrier when driving than men.
Women’s car insurance specialist, Diamond, questioned 1,800
motorists and found that 21% of women often feel angry with other
motorists when behind the wheel compared with just 18% of men. 51%
of both men and women admit to shouting at other drivers, but it’s
men who are more likely to take this further with 8% of them
frequently shouting at other motorists and 2% having physically
attacked another driver, compared to 7% and 1% respectively for
women.
Today’s motorists are also at the receiving end of this aggression
as 56% of men and 54% of women admit to having been shouted at by
another motorist.
Diamond managing director, Sian Lewis, commented:- ”Although
women are more likely to feel angry our statistics show that it’s
the men that you might want to keep an eye out for. In fact, we can
see from their conviction rates that men are more likely to drive in
an aggressive manner as 18% of them have a speeding conviction
compared to 12% of women.”
UK motorists have also noticed an increase in the stresses of modern
driving as 35% of women and 32% of men say that they find driving
more stressful than they did a year ago.
Sian continued:- “It’s not surprising that motorists are
becoming angrier behind the wheel as roads are getting busier, hence
making journeys more difficult, the chance of getting caught by a
speed camera is an increased risk and it seems that everywhere you
turn there are roadworks slowing you down.
Feeling
stressed impacts on concentration, and therefore affects driving
ability so it’s certainly worth trying to stay calm.
Motorists need
to remember that everyone’s simply trying to get from A to B,
driving isn’t a race and aggression, leading to convictions will hit
you in the pocket through a fine and increased insurance premium.
Being aggressive behind the wheel simply isn’t worth it.”
5 handy tips to think about when behind the wheel:-
1. If you feel annoyed take a few deep breaths and try to calm
yourself down.
2. Keep your eyes on
the road as looking away for just a second could put you in danger.
3. You will make
mistakes when driving, so don’t automatically assume that the person
shouting at you is being an idiot. You might have made a mistake.
4. Try not to react to someone else’s aggression as that can often
inflame the situation.
5. Don’t drive in an
aggressive manner as that can be a catalyst for other motorists to
respond in the same way.
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