Budget 2024 must support ‘breadline’ elderly

An organisation enabling older people to age in their own home has called on the Government to make immediate and urgent investments in Budget 2024.

Irish charity ALONE’s new campaign One Million and Counting urges the Government to implement benchmarking of the State pension, as well as to increase the rates of Telephone Support Allowance, Living Alone Allowance, and Fuel Allowance.

It also asks for a commitment of funding to policy areas including loneliness, home care, housing with support, housing adaptation grants, and combating energy poverty.

The requests come with the release ALONE’s annual pre-budget survey, which was answered by 460 older people with whom the charity works.

Respondents reported a variety of issues such as having spent their life insurance to pay bills in their home, only eating once a day to cut back on food costs, their biggest worry being heating their home, and worrying if they would have enough money to see them through the rest of their lives.

The survey found that 75% of respondents said they have been impacted or severely impacted by the cost-of-living crisis, with more than half saying they find it difficult to pay their bills.

Heating and energy costs are the most worrying costs for older people according to the survey, followed by household maintenance costs, food prices, healthcare costs, and transport.

Changes that respondents believe would help them most in the budget were: an increase of State pension, an increase of the fuel allowance, and an increase in the Living Alone Allowance.

Commenting on the latest findings, ALONE CEO Seán Moynihan said action must be taken to address living standards for older people in Ireland.

“Our survey shows that many older people in Ireland are living on the breadline today. The recently published Census results show that there are now more than 1 million people aged 60+ living in Ireland,” said Mr Moynihan.

“We cannot afford to wait to make strategic and capital investments in services and supports for older people. We need strategic action now and not annual token amounts of money.

“Government officials talk about putting corporation tax receipts away for a rainy day, but if we don’t make choices now, we will simply not be able to meet the housing and health needs of older people in the future,” the CEO added.

Recommendations from ALONE in this year’s Pre-Budget Submission include:

· Implement benchmarking of the State Pension and increase by a minimum of €27.50 this year to prevent a further increase in poverty rates among older people.

· Increase the Fuel Allowance by €35 to maintain cost of living support.

· Increase the rate of Telephone Support Allowance from €2.50 to €10 per week.

· Increase the living Alone Allowance from €22 to €32 per week.

· Significantly increase funding to the Home Support Scheme to increase hours delivered to older people and people with disabilities in 2024.

· Deliver an action plan to combat loneliness.

· Significantly increase funding for Housing Adaptation Grants by a minimum of €85m.

· Commit to a minimum of 25% of all new builds for social housing to be developed to age-friendly and universal design standards.

· Develop and fund a programme of strategic capital investment in care and support for older people, including the likes of Housing with Supports, to be delivered in line with demographic projections.

· Deliver a Commissioner for Older People.

· Deliver the €10m fund to support people experiencing energy poverty, committed to in the Action Plan to Combat Energy Poverty.

Mr Moynihan concluded: “This Government committed to benchmarking the pension and creating an equitable society, but it has not delivered this yet.

“What is it going to take for Government to listen to the needs of more than one million people?”

See alone.ie.