'Life getting worse' say elderly

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The economic crisis is impacting on their ability to make ends meet and pay for basic amenities like heating, it said.

Around one in four (24%) people aged 65 and over said their quality of life had got worse in the last 12 months while another 66% said it had not improved at all.

The poll of 1,000 people forms the basis of a report from the newly-formed charity, Age Concern and Help the Aged.

It found that more than one in three (36%) older people have avoided heating their bedroom, living room or bathroom to save money, while 19% live below the poverty line.

Overall, 68% of older people believe politicians see them as a low priority while 60% believe age discrimination exists in every day life and in the workplace. A total of 53% also said people tended to be treated like children once they reached a very old age.

The study also found that 76% did not believe the country made good use of the skills and talents of older people.

The report - One Voice: Shaping our ageing society - said: "In 2008 the oldest and poorest pensioners were hit hardest by rising cost of living, especially the price of food and fuel."

Michelle Mitchell, charity director for Age Concern and Help the Aged, said: "Attitudes to older people are stuck in the past, the care and support system for older people is on the brink of collapse and older people's experiences of isolation and exclusion have largely been ignored by successive governments."

Minister for pensions Rosie Winterton said: "The increase in the basic state pension will put extra cash in pensioners' pockets every week, to help them through these tough times... I know at the moment people are feeling the pinch and have concerns about finances. But we've come a long way in helping vulnerable pensioners in the last 10 years, lifting nearly a million pensioners out of poverty."