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 19 July 2008 15:51 BST

Fears for the future 'making people ill'

Tuesday, 20 May 2008 00:01
A quarter of older people are so worried about their future that they have become ill

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Fears about the future are making a quarter of older people physically ill, a new report claims today.

Help the Aged, the charity which released the report, says the number of people aged over 65 who are concerned about their future to the extent that their physical health has been affected has risen by nearly half a million in the last year.

Issues worrying older people include ageism, neglect, poverty, isolation and future deprivation.

In the past twelve months an estimated 200,000 extra pensioner households have been plunged into fuel poverty, Help the Aged estimates.

And the charity claims that the proportion of older people in England who say they are not always treated with dignity in hospital has increased from 21 per cent to 22 per cent.

Paul Cann, director of policy and external relations at Help the Aged, said it is "appalling" older people are so worried that they are making themselves physically unwell.

But he added: "While the report paints a rather dismal picture of growing older in the UK, there have been some steps forward.

"More people aged 60 and over in Great Britain are taking up their entitlement to concessionary fares and the digital divide seems to be narrowing with people aged 65 and over now more likely to have used the internet."

Mr Cann continued: "That said, the government has an enormous job to do to improve the lives of older people.

"As society ages, the demands of older people will rightly get louder and louder. The government must respond or run the risk of alienating millions of voters as we approach the next general election."
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