People of State Pension age encouraged to check if they qualify for benefits from DWP

dailyrecord.co.uk:

Nearly a quarter (24%) of older people believe they will be forced to choose between heating their home and the food they buy if their energy bills increase substantially in April.

A new survey among over-65s for Age UK found that more than half (54%) of those surveyed said they would have to heat their home less and just over two-fifths (43%) said they would have to cut back on food shopping, go into debt or simply will not be able to afford to pay their bill.

Inflation jumped to a near 30-year high of 5.4% in December and the energy price cap is due to rise in the spring, possibly increasing bills by 50%, according to the latest predictions.

One 69-year-old woman told Age UK : “I am currently in bed keeping warm today as it’s so cold and I can’t afford to have my heating on for the whole day. “I’m reduced to showering on alternate days, which I hate, and I’m eating food that’s microwaveable to avoid heating my oven.”Age UK warned that many older people are missing out on extra income as well as vital support such as Cold Weather Payments and the Warm Home Discount Scheme because they are not receiving Pension Credit, despite being eligible.