Age UK: Spread the Warmth

We don't know about you, but our teeth start chattering at the mere mention of winter. Summer dresses are a distant memory as chunky scarves come out and, of course, the heating goes on to thaw out frozen toes.

But what if, like many older people in Britain this winter, you couldn't afford to turn the heating up when Jack Frost comes knocking? Age UK's Spread the Warmth campaign aims to help avoid the thousands of preventable deaths that occur each winter, and they need our help. 

 Why we need warm homes

This week the Office for National Statistics will publish the number of "excess winter deaths" - over and above the rest of the year - for last winter. Over the last ten years there have been around 25,000 additional deaths each winter. Nearly nine out of ten are older people.

The main cause of these deaths is the cold, but they are preventable. Other, much colder, countries like Finland and Sweden have much lower death rates. Many of these deaths - and associated health problems like heart attacks, strokes and breathing difficulties - could be prevented if everyone lived in a warm home. One of the main causes of cold homes in the UK is poor insulation - as a nation we have some of the worst levels of home energy efficiency in Europe.

Mary’s story

Mary is 75 and lives in Sheffield. She suffers from chronic bronchitis and painful arthritis in her feet and knees, which is much worse in the winter. Last winter she really struggled to keep warm - she couldn’t afford to keep her heating on for more than a few hours each day and was often forced to wear her coat indoors. Once the heating went off at 8pm, she had no choice but to go straight to bed.

"I really feel the cold," she says, "so during the coldest weather it was like living in a fridge. My legs were so painful. I’m frightened to bloody death at the thought of this winter coming up."

Mary is determined not to get into debt, which means that she sometimes chooses to cut down on food so that she can pay the fuel bills, and is not alone in this. With rising energy costs and poorly insulated homes, more and more people struggle to keep their homes warm enough. Official figures suggest that around 1.7 million older people are in "fuel poverty" and can’t afford to heat their homes.

What needs to happen

In a badly insulated home, we end up paying for heat which simply leaks out of the walls, doors, windows and roof. But modern technology means that with proper energy efficiency measures nearly all homes could be made much warmer and cheaper to heat.

That’s why Age UK has joined with other organisations to call for a major programme of investment to make millions of homes much more energy efficient. This could be funded from the billions of pounds that the Government is already receiving in carbon taxes and we want politicians to take this issue seriously and to commit to making it happen at the next election.

Staying warm

Make sure you and your friends and loved ones stay warm and well this winter. Keep your living room at 70°F (21°C), your bedroom at 64°F (18°C) and your bedroom window closed at night when the weather is cold.

Other things to remember:

• Keep moving. Staying active equals staying warm, so get up and make a hot drink, go for a walk, or even start on those chores you've been avoiding since the year 2000...
• Eat well. Make sure you have at least one hot meal a day - and bolster it with some hot cups of tea.
• Have your flu jab!
• Wear several thin layers of clothing as opposed to one or two thick ones.
• Keep your hands and face warm.

For more useful advice on preparing for the colder weather, download our free guide, Winter wrapped up.

How you can help

This winter Age UK is asking everyone to tell their MPs "we need warm homes".

• Visit the website to send an email direct to your MP
• Into knitting? Make an impact by knitting a message to send your MP.
• Share the campaign on Twitter and Facebook using hashtags #warmhomes and #spreadthewarmth
• Support Age UK's work to help people like Mary stay warm and well this winter. Visit the website to donate, or text WARM to 70004 to give £5 via SMS.

Terms & Conditions: text costs £5.00 plus network charge. Age UK receives 100% of your donation. Obtain bill payers permission. To find out more call Customer Relations on 0800 169 8787. Charity number 1128267.