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Seven
out of 10 older people in deprived areas are victims of social exclusion,
a new study claims. The
research, published on Wednesday, was carried out for the Economic and
Social Research Council and looked at some of the most deprived areas of
Liverpool, Manchester and Newham, east London. It also found that 45% of
the elderly in the areas were living in poverty. And
just 7% felt safe leaving their homes at night. The
report defines social exclusion as the elderly missing out on material
needs, social relations, civic activities or basic services. It
found that just three out of ten people in deprived areas did not suffer
from any form of social exclusion. A
further 30% are vulnerable to exclusion, with the remaining 40% being
victims of "multiple exclusions". For
people in the latter category, this might mean going without basic
necessities of life such as heating, new clothing, food and holidays, and
being less involved in community life. People
are vulnerable to exclusion regardless of age or sex, but it is more of a
problem for some ethnic minority groups - particularly Somali and
Pakistani older people, the report says. Ethnic
minorities
The
study drew on the results of a national survey, which highlighted a range
of items and activities regarded by 50% or more of people as necessities
of daily living. People
lacking two or more items because they could not afford them were judged
to be in poverty. On
that basis, 45% of those surveyed for were in that category. Some
older people lacked and could not afford a substantial number of
necessities. Around
75% of Somali pensioners and two-thirds of older Pakistani people were in
poverty.
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