Eight pensioners in Britain will die of a cold-related illness every hour this winter. And it is estimated that more than 20‚000 older people will die as a result of the cold.

In the last 5 years‚ more than 150‚000 people over 65 have died as a result of the winter months in Britain and the warning from the Met Office of a harsh winter this year could mean even more deaths.

Shamefully‚ Britain has one of the highest rates of winter deaths in Europe. And older people in Britain are at greater risk of cold-related illnesses such as pneumonia than those in colder countries such as Finland or Austria. 

The high cost of heating‚ the poor standard of Britain’s housing‚ low incomes and time spent outside in the cold all leave older people vulnerable. Those most at risk tend to be pensioners living alone.

Gordon Lishman‚ Age Concern’s Director General‚ said:

“It is a national scandal that so many older people over 65 are put at risk every winter. Almost 2.4 million older people in Britain live in homes that are cold enough to cause illness and this is just unacceptable. More needs to be done for older people during the winter months so that they can heat their homes adequately without worrying about the cost.”

“It is essential that older people keep warm during the Winter. We would urge that older people make sure that their home is heated properly. Dressing well and keeping active is another way to keep warm and eating good meals will provide energy throughout the day.”  

Age Concern today is calling on the Government to increase the basic state pension to at least £109 a week so all older people have enough money in their pockets to heat their homes. 

For further Winter information download our free factsheet "Helping with Heating" or call the Age Concern Information line on 0800 00 99 66.

Or please call the Dept of Health’s Winter Warmth Advice Line on freephone 0800 085 7000‚ 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday.

Notes to Editors

1. Figures are taken from the ONS excess winter death statistics
2. Winter is defined as the months of December to March
3. Calculation is as follows:
4. 24‚343 people over 65 died in 2003/04. The number of days in Dec to March is 121. If you multiply 121 by 24 this gives 2904 hours. So 24‚343 divide by 2904 equals 7.
5. In 2003/04 24‚343 older people aged over 65 died during the winter
6. “Excess winter mortality in Europe: a cross country analysis‚ identifying key risk factors‚” Dr John D. Healy‚ Research Fellow‚ University College Dublin‚ published in the Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health‚ October 2003
7. Age Concern has an ISDN line for interviews

Media contact:

Grant Imlach
Telephone:
0208 765 7513
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07071 243 243
Media Team