ROI Press Release: Older people going without food or clothing to heat their homes

Clarification (19 December)

Following the launch of the report referred to in the press release below it is clear that there has been some confusion about how the headline figures in the press release have been presented.

This was a multi level study including national data and data from a non-representative sample of older people.  IPH want to make it quite clear that the figures quoted in the press release of 24% describing their homes as too cold and 51% going without food or clothing to heat their homes are figures that relate to a sample of 722 older people who were selected through their contact with older peoples services such as Age Action, Energy Action and rural transport schemes and health and social housing service providers.  As such the findings of this aspect of the report represent the lived experience of these groups of older people but they can not be considered representative of the total older population.

Figures relating to the national picture of fuel poverty amongst older people are available in the full report at http://www.publichealth.ie/sites/default/files/documents/files/Fuel%20Po...

Press Release: Older people going without food or clothing to heat their homes

51% of older people had to go without food or clothing to pay for heating in their homes and 24% described their homes as too cold - according to new research on fuel poverty and older people launched today. The research explored the experiences of a sample of 722 older people that were linked to a range of community and voluntary groups and services*.

The research was carried out by a group comprising Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT), the Institute of Public Health in Ireland (IPH), Northern Ireland's Centre of Excellence in Public Health and Brunel University London and funded by the Centre for Ageing Research and Development in Ireland (CARDI).

The research found that 'heat or eat' was a widespread phenomenon for the older people surveyed with 62% reporting that they were worried about the cost of heating their home. 8% of the sample even used the oven for additional heat during cold snaps.

The report Fuel Poverty, Older People and Cold Weather: An All- island Analysis features findings from a survey of older people's experiences of cold weather in the Republic of Ireland carried out during in January to April 2011.

The report also features a review of national fuel poverty statistics relating to older people as well as an analysis of excess winter deaths among older people in both the Republic and Northern Ireland.

Principal Investigator Professor Pat Goodman said: "Winter mortality rates in both jurisdictions have decreased but there are still significant differences between winter and summer mortality rates in older people, and cold homes can contribute to this phenomenon".

Previous analysis on cold-related deaths in Dublin, led by Dublin Institute of Technology, showed that each 1 degree Celsius drop in temperature was associated with a 2.6% increase in deaths over the subsequent 40 days, the majority of these deaths occurring in older people.

IPH Senior Policy Officer Dr Helen McAvoy said the research revealed a 'dual burden' for older people who are more likely to experience fuel poverty and also vulnerable to considerable health and social harm as a result of this experience.

"Older people were the age group most at risk of fuel poverty. This was driven by poor housing condition, energy inefficient housing, rising fuel prices and low income. Older people living in a home they considered 'too cold' were more likely to report significant ill-health and disability. Older people who are over 75, older people living alone and those with a chronic illness or disability were particularly vulnerable."

While older people in the Republic of Ireland were more likely to lack central heating (12%) compared to Northern Ireland (7%), older people in Northern Ireland were particularly vulnerable from an income point of view. "This indicates that a different balance of measures may need to be adopted in each jurisdiction," she said.

CARDI Director, Dr Roger O'Sullivan welcomed the research. "Reducing fuel poverty is an important component in ensuring the health and well being of older people across the island of Ireland. In this time of economic austerity, vulnerable older people, particularly those living alone, face many pressures on their household budgets but it is imperative that older people are able to heat their homes effectively and efficiently. This report underlines the importance of initiatives that upgrade the energy efficiency of all dwellings inhabited by older people."

In the Republic of Ireland the government strategy Warmer Homes - A Strategy for Affordable Energy in Ireland was published last month. This estimated that almost half of older people living alone (around 95,000 of these householders) were experiencing energy poverty. This research calls for firm commitments in terms of improvements in the housing condition, energy efficiency and installation of useable central heating systems in older people's homes and "not just income supports and allowances."

ENDS

Notes to Editor

* Including Age Action, Energy Action, rural transport schemes and health and social housing service providers

Fuel Poverty, Older People and Colder Weather: An all Island Analysis is available at: http://www.publichealth.ie/document/fuel-poverty-older-people-cold-weather

CARDI brief: http://www.cardi.ie/publications/understandingfuelpovertyintheolderpopul...
Warmer Homes - A Strategy for Affordable Energy in Ireland is available at:

http://www.dcenr.gov.ie/NR/rdonlyres/53F3AC25-22F8-4E94-AB73-352F417971D...

Further information

 Arlene McKay, IPH: (048) 9069 0058 / 0044 (0)773 490 3944