warm places for the elderly to go to because they are not getting the winter fuel payment

they did start doing warm spaces like libraries for people. i think if your friend can she should persuade to leave one room heated safely of course much cheaper than heating whole house.
before she goes maybe make a small meal ready to take to the warm room such as sandwich cover it in cling wrap or wax wrap ready then some wrapped snack things like muesli bars etc so she has some thing to eat.
maybe keep a hot drink in a flask so she does not have to hang around in a cold kitchen brewing up or soup. it is important to have lots to drink. '
i would second a heated throw they are wonderful mine was just under £20 and its a lifesaver. i have mine round me in the day and if a cold night pop it on the bed.
i do feel very sorry for your friends neighbour its disgusting the way people especially the elderly are treated they need better than this

Totally agree with you, unsympathetic to say the least

Warm spaces have been available for over three years now as I volunteer in the library and we offer it! WFA is not the issue but high fuel costs across the board regardless of age or income! Yes if you are above a certain financial threshold you can put on your heating but not everybody is in that position! Children are not at school this week due to closures, families must be struggling as well
Layers, warm drinks hot water bottles, throws, hats, thermals are all necessary! Blowvthe fashion look and keep moving if possible !

MissAdventure

I don't think this winter is even so cold.
Certainly we've had some really cold days, but winter has always featured cold weather.

Agreed.

Sun is in and out, it's chilly. I wear layers, warm clothes.

Bake breads, make soup.

Must depend where you live then, because it's absolutely Baltic up here in Scotland! Weatherman was saying it could go to minus 20 in some of the sheltered glens tonight. We can't even get the back gates to our garden open because they've frozen completely shut.

It's always depended where you live, surely?

Scotland is famous for it's cold weather.

surfingsal

Some good news , the elderly lady has admitted that everything is getting too much for her and was very upset , I think she has been quite stubborn over the last couple of years , she has a daughter who has wanted her mother to move in with them but she refused to and she also has a sister who also wants her to move in with her as she is lonely and they have always been close, so she has agreed to move in with her sister for a trial run , if it works out she will sell her house and invest the money in case she ever needs a care home. My friend still cannot understand how none of the family never realised how cold the house is and the fact there is no double glazing , the daughter does live about 200 miles away but even so she must have has some idea !

A good result, thank you for letting us know.

Susieq62

Warm spaces have been available for over three years now as I volunteer in the library and we offer it! WFA is not the issue but high fuel costs across the board regardless of age or income! Yes if you are above a certain financial threshold you can put on your heating but not everybody is in that position! Children are not at school this week due to closures, families must be struggling as well
Layers, warm drinks hot water bottles, throws, hats, thermals are all necessary! Blowvthe fashion look and keep moving if possible !

Agree

Lathyrus3

For the first time, yesterday, I had a taste of the difference that being older makes.

I went for a walk, a bit further than was wise and got chilled. I couldn’t get warm all day. I had the heating on at 20. I sat with the electric throw. I even had a hot water bottle on my lap.

My body would just not respond. It really made me think about the physiological changes that happen as you age and how maybe “putting the heating on” isn’t always the answer if you’ve let yourself get cold before.

I wonder if a hot bath might have warmed you up more quickly Lathyrus

I am going to a very warm place at the end of this month, Western Australia! I was in credit with BG during the summer to the tune of over £900 so I reduced my direct debit
, which BG had almost doubled, back down to previous level and took £500 of the credit balance. Have just had my bill to end of December and I am still in credit, so I am having my heating on as normal as I just cannot bear to be cold. I really feel sorry for my younger brother and sil, they are all electric with very inefficient night storage heaters which are completely useless. They have turned them off mainly and have a couple of convection heaters but it is absolutely freezing in their tiny bungalow. They have to wear layers of thermal clothing and hats and wrap themselves in fleece blankets with hot water bottles for the evening and it is still costing them an astronomical amount! My brother has a private pension fortunately so they don’t qualify for any benefits but really did find the WFA a Godsend and are one of the ones who will really miss it!

Alliance, cost of fuel gas actually hone up again. There are many many people who won't put the heating on because of the cost. Shame on this government. How many deaths will there be???

Funny, isn't it. The seemingly delighted Left wingers, who have taken up much space to glorify Starmer and co, after the election, seem to have gone rather quiet.

pascal30

Lathyrus3

For the first time, yesterday, I had a taste of the difference that being older makes.

I went for a walk, a bit further than was wise and got chilled. I couldn’t get warm all day. I had the heating on at 20. I sat with the electric throw. I even had a hot water bottle on my lap.

My body would just not respond. It really made me think about the physiological changes that happen as you age and how maybe “putting the heating on” isn’t always the answer if you’ve let yourself get cold before.

I wonder if a hot bath might have warmed you up more quickly Lathyrus

Thank you for the thought but I don’t have a bath. I never even thought of getting in the shower.🤔🙂

MissAdventure

It's always depended where you live, surely?

Scotland is famous for it's cold weather.

Well yes, clearly - but I'm just pointing out that those who think it's not been a cold winter are very lucky.

I am pleased that this lady’s situation will soon be solved.

The sale of her house will also give her a more than comfortable buffer for any future plans.

It is good that your neighbour goes to a local warm hub, there will be company and a hot meal, but why while they are there why isn't someone giving them advise on putting the heating on timer and showing them how to use their heating efficiently and making sure they are on the correct tarrifs and their homes are sufficiently insulated and also they are on the correct benefits. I think a lot of people are being led to believe that it can't be turned on at all because of the cost. But if you use it correctly instead of turning it on " when you need it" then the house takes ages to warm it is much more efficient.

I keep my heating on I have asthma and all the extra clothing etc is good but the temperature of the air as to be warm as well. I put a scarf around my mouth when out so I breath in moist warm air if not I cough and get breathless.

Lathyrus3
I was 40 when I went into hypothermia. Nothing to do with old age 😂

62Granny

It is good that your neighbour goes to a local warm hub, there will be company and a hot meal, but why while they are there why isn't someone giving them advise on putting the heating on timer and showing them how to use their heating efficiently and making sure they are on the correct tarrifs and their homes are sufficiently insulated and also they are on the correct benefits. I think a lot of people are being led to believe that it can't be turned on at all because of the cost. But if you use it correctly instead of turning it on " when you need it" then the house takes ages to warm it is much more efficient.

There are people giving this advice, but, it’s on a voluntary basis. There isn’t the money to have someone from SS or someone from the DWP. Age concern don’t have enough advisers.

hulahoop

I keep my heating on I have asthma and all the extra clothing etc is good but the temperature of the air as to be warm as well. I put a scarf around my mouth when out so I breath in moist warm air if not I cough and get breathless.

This. The temperature of the air breathed in is very important for older people, whether or not you have a respiratory condition. Just using warm clothes, heated throws and hot water bottles doesn’t increase the air temperature.

I hate to think of very elderly people suffering like this. I have thrown caution to the wind re the heating. I live in the North East of England and it's really cold here !
After having covid a couple of years ago I find it very hard to keep my body warm even at the best of times, so I will have to worry about the bills in the future.

Smart meters and the associated consumption display monitors are worrying for many elderly consumers especially those that only have a single income. It's not just the loss of the winter fuel allowance, the energy price cap has also been increased so the average daily energy amount for heating coming hot water, lighting appliances and the daily standing charges is £4.76 per day across the year. Or looking at it seasonally, say, approximately £6.00 per day for 130 days and £4.20 for both other 235 days. Obviously consumption levels depend on size and type of accommodation, insulation, etc but for many it's not affordable to run heating 24/7 in cold weather if you only have just over the state pension level.of income.

rowyn

Funny, isn't it. The seemingly delighted Left wingers, who have taken up much space to glorify Starmer and co, after the election, seem to have gone rather quiet.

I've not gone quiet.
I keep pointing out that it's £4 a week, telling people to claim pension credit, and pip or attendance allowance if they have medical needs.

I'll go a step further, and say that sooner than posting about it, I would take someone into my home, if they had been worried to the point of not using their heating.

If anyone's looking for a heated blanket, just spotted that Aldi are doing one in their Specialbuys section from Thursday, January 16th - £29.99.

If only some very needy older people were entitled to claim pension credit …