Our support during the cost of living crisis

Listening and responding

Age UK Bradford District staff and volunteers are supporting older people during the cost of living crisis by, first and foremost, listening and responding to their needs.

Our staff working in Advice and Casework, Integrated Care and in our Community Hubs have shared what older people are telling them regarding the cost of living crisis.

“Their fuel is going up from £104 a month to over £260, that was before the most recent price rises. They won’t put the central heating on during the winter and they’ll just heat one room which they’ll stay in, rather than heating the whole house. They have taken out light bulbs to reduce the amount of lights they use and only put on lights when they need to. They’ve stopped putting water on every day and tend to use the microwave for meals rather than using the cooker. 
They are also in fear of falling and injuring themselves due to lack of light and hypothermia, while not eating or drinking enough will also impact on their health.”

“They’re experiencing mental health issues due to worrying about how to pay the bills.”

“They’re frightened of the future and how they will manage.”

“There is real fear about what the price rises will mean for everybody we talk to”

“A person I support is worried that the costs of his food bills are increasing every week. He has cut down on some items he doesn’t deem essential. He is going without other items to ensure that his two pet dogs are never without.”

“People are struggling to identify ways of reducing costs. I’ve shared information on the support we offer and people who come into our Hubs know where to come to if they need any assistance.”

THE SUPPORT WE OFFER

Age UK Bradford District are offering older people a range of help and support as we head into Winter with so many worried about how they will manage through the colder months.
Below are details of some of the ways we are helping older people.

THE DIFFERENCE OUR SUPPORT MAKES

Amy, from our Integrated Care team, supports a 90 year old woman who lives alone in her own home since the death of her husband. She has anxiety, depression and suffers from vision and hearing problems. 

This lady had a leak in her boiler and had contacted various plumbers who have come out to fix this but her boiler kept going off. The broken boiler has left her without any hot water or heating for several days at a time. She is already living in a cold, very damp house. She has struggled to find a reliable plumber and cannot afford to keep paying for plumbers, especially with the cost of living crisis. 

We arranged for a warm pack, heater and for a plumber to come out and look at her boiler via the Warm Homes Healthy People Scheme. She may be able to receive up to £200 towards any boiler repairs. If her boiler needs replacing we can refer her to Green Doctor to inquire about the grants they provide for a boiler replacement.

She was very grateful to be receiving the warm pack, heater and to be able to find a plumber who was actually able to help and thanked Age UK Bradford District for all our help.