WINTER can be an incredibly difficult time of year for older people living on low incomes in the South West.

The cost of living is still extremely high and budgets are being stretched across the region.

This winter the Independent Age helpline has received thousands of calls from distressed older people in financial hardship.

Our advisors have heard dreadful accounts of people not washing to reduce water costs, visiting public places to stay warm and limiting themselves to just one small meal a day.

It’s not right that so many people in later life are being forced to choose between heating and eating, with many now cutting back on both.

There is support available for older people living on low incomes in the form of Pension Credit – an income top-up provided by the UK Government that, on average, is worth over £4,000 a year.

Worryingly, this entitlement has a stubbornly low take-up rate. Latest figures show that the South West is the region with the lowest take-up.

Only 55% of eligible older people are receiving Pension Credit, meaning 95,000 households are missing out on life-changing money they are entitled to. Pension Credit isn’t just an income top-up, it also acts as a gateway to other benefits such as free TV licences for over 75s, free NHS prescriptions, council tax support, Housing Benefit, free eye tests and much more.

If you are aged 66 and over and are worried about your finances, you might be entitled to Pension Credit.

You can check eligibility by using the Pension Credit Calculator on the government website or by calling 0800 99 1234. If you need extra support, or want more information on the application process, you can call the free Independent Age helpline on 0800 319 6789.

Joanna Elson, CBE

Independent Age Chief Executive