News and media

Our research has revealed the financial hardships older people without children can face. Adult children can provide vital assistance for people in later life, reducing loneliness, providing care and support, or assisting financially. Currently there are 1.2 million older people without children in the UK, and this number will rise to 2 million by 2030. We shared our findings exclusively with the Daily Express.  

Older people face health and wellbeing risks as a result of not being able to afford energy and food prices. Our Director of Policy & Communications John Palmer calls on the government to  increase the uptake of Pension Credit and to “leave no stone unturned to immediately get money into the pockets of older people”. Read about how the cost of living crisis is impacting older people on MSN. 

Our research revealed the struggles older renters are facing during the cost-of-living crisis. Almost two thirds of tenants in later life are having to cut back on general spending. We shared our findings exclusively with The Guardian

The i spoke to Yvonne DeBurgo, 76, who has lost over a stone after cutting down on food because of spiralling costs. Head of Policy & Influencing Morgan Vine highlights how the cost-of-living crisis is having a "devastating impact" on older people. Read the full interview with Yvonne in The i

Our new report has found how people in later life who experience partner bereavement can face financial hardship. Our research found that it can be difficult to juggle costs couples once shared, and getting to grips with this while grieving can be a major challenge. We shared our findings exclusively with the Daily Express.  

Independent Age alongside many other charities and think tanks signed a letter to Health Secretary Sajid Javid warning that changes to the care cap calculations will mean see pensioners in Red Wall parliamentary seats be hit the hardest, with four in five (80 percent) older people using care not seeing any benefit at all. The letter highlights how poorer care users are much more likely to die before they reach the cap than someone who is better off. Read more about it in the Daily Express.

Morgan Vine, Head of Policy and Influencing at Independent Age spoke to the Daily Mail about how, as we move towards a cashless society, older people who don’t feel comfortable or confident to make card payments or use online banking must not be forgotten or financially penalised for using cheques.

Veronica Fenn, 82, spoke to the Daily Express about how she could not even afford to boil her kettle to make a cup of coffee until she heard from Independent Age about Pension Credit, a means-tested state benefit aimed at older people.