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Elderly struggle to pay their way By Brad Crouch, the Advertiser The
cost of living could be life itself for some older South Australians this
summer. Hemmed in by a tide of rising costs on all sides, older people are
skipping meals, medicine and heating just to pay basic bills needed to
stay in their own homes as Brad Crouch reports. Social isolation also is on the rise as many
people shy away from spending money on transport, telephones or
socialising. Prices outstripping pension rises or
investment income are leaving people under siege as they grapple with: ELECTRICITY
bills, up 60 per cent since 1995, including a rise of 24 per cent this
year. WATER,
up 40 per cent since 1998. GAS,
up a predicted 20 per cent next year thanks to deregulation on top of a
5.6 per cent rise this year. BULK BILLING, a 21 per cent drop in rates in the past three years, although many GPs
still bulk-bill pensioners separately to other patients. CHARGES
tied to household valuations which have doubled in the past decade,
including water, sewerage, Emergency Services Levy and insurance. Other price rises taking their toll include
council rates, petrol, car registration and driver's licences, water
levies, health insurance and the impact of the GST on services. Some rebates are available but these have not
risen in years – the rebate for electricity has not changed since 1990
– and others are minor, such as the $1.80 per quarter rebate on gas. The State Government has ruled out raising
rebates as a way to ease pressure. While essential services rise in double
digits and concessions remain frozen, this year's two pension rises
boosted the single age pension by 5.4 per cent, or $23.40, to $452.80 per
fortnight. Council on the Ageing executive director Ian
Yates said people on fixed incomes could do little about rising bills
except cut spending. About 80 per cent of the state's 211,000
people aged over 65 are on a pension. "No one thing is the killer blow, it is
the combination of a host of things creeping up in price," Mr Yates
said. "The two things we get constant calls
and mail about are rising house valuations and the cost of
electricity." More than 3000 households now are on special
payment plans after trouble paying their electricity bills. A COTA survey found some people are dealing
with rising electricity prices by not turning on their heaters or
air-conditioners even during extreme weather. The fear now is frail, old people will
succumb to heat stroke if summer is a scorcher. A heatwave in "Older people die in extreme weather
conditions anyway, such as a hot summer – the chances now are this will
happen more often if people are afraid to turn their air-conditioners on
because of the cost," Mr Yates said. "We also are getting anecdotal stories
of people suffering malnutrition because one of the few areas they can cut
back is their food bill." A The survey of 250 people aged 70 to 90 years
in the affluent eastern suburbs found 38 per cent at risk of malnutrition
and 5 per cent were malnourished. to pay their way Endocrinology lecturer Dr Ian Chapman and PhD
student Caroline MacIntosh found this group had worse outcomes when they
fell ill. "It is surprisingly common, but most
people are unaware a substantial group of older people are at risk of
being malnourished," Dr Chapman said. "A large number of people just don't eat
enough – factors such as dementia, depression or poverty can have an
effect and they also don't eat as much if they are alone." Some older people face selling their homes as
soaring valuations leave them asset rich but income poor. COTA wants bigger increases in pensions to
ease the situation, as well as a comprehensive review of the concession
system. It also wants a whole-of-government approach because the crisis
besetting older people runs across half-a-dozen portfolios. This was apparent when the Sunday Mail
sought a State Government response about how older people could cope and
was redirected from minister to minister. Premier Mike Rann's office eventually
directed responsibility to Treasurer Kevin Foley. He declined to comment directly, instead
releasing a statement saying the government provides $90 million in
concessions in nearly 30 areas to assist pensioners, while noting pensions
were a matter for the Federal Government. Welfare agencies say campaigns urging people
to "switch off" to conserve power supplies added to the tendency
by older people to forego heating or cooling. While people cut back on food and power,
evidence is appearing they are not taking their medicine because they
cannot afford it. South Australian Council for Social Service
executive director Pam Simmons said people were skipping meals to pay
power bills. "We are hearing stories of people not
filling their prescriptions and, through winter, they were fearful of
turning on the heat – they just put on more clothes and went to bed to
stay warm," she said. "If they are struggling to pay their
bills, they may cut back on air-conditioning and that has the potential
for heat exhaustion. Ms Simmons noted all low-income people, not
just the elderly, faced stress from rising prices. Agencies reporting to SACOSS say growing
numbers of people have cut back from three meals to two each day for fear
they will lose their homes if they can't pay their bills. The SA Ambulance Service routinely sees a
rise in older people suffering heat problems in summer and is expecting an
extra Spokesman Lee Francis said older people have
a different sensory perception of temperature due to circulation and the
ageing process. This could leave them susceptible to extreme
temperatures, making heating or cooling vital. "We see people who tend to economise on
things who have heat-related problems in summer," he said. "As people get older they don't feel the
heat and the cold in the same way as younger people." Despite the struggle to keep up with the
bills, Essential Services Commissioner Lew Owens said prospects were not
good for any fall in the price of electricity or gas.
Copyright
© 2002 Global Action on Aging |