Older people are increasingly going without proper meals due to spiralling shopping costs.
The Irish Senior Citizens Parliament said they are receiving increasing complaints from their members over the cost of living crisis. CEO Sue Shaw explained that many people face constant anxiety as pensions fails to cover their most basic needs.
She explained that while heating costs are becoming less of a concern as summer approaches, many people are now more preoccupied with their shopping bills. Some members of Irish Senior Citizens Parliament rely on the discount aisles in supermarkets but say stock levels are limited due to high demand.
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Sue told Dublin Live: "People are now telling us they're having beans on toast instead of proper meals. A certain percentage are making very hard choices and the cost of living crisis has terrified them."
Sue said that people who rely on the state pension for income are being particularly affected by inflation. She said that no one should find themselves facing these stressful financial pressures, regardless of age.
She added: "There are a few people with us who are renting property and they are terrified of losing their home. I think a bigger tsunami will come down the road in a decade's time when the number of older people renting rises significantly."
The ISCP will take part in a demonstration on April 1 to protest spiralling living costs outside the Dail. The advocacy group maintains that the state pension is not a secure source of income and that pensioners need more protections to be in place.
The protest, organised by the Cost of Living Coalition, will take place on April 1 at 1pm. The demonstration will call for a reversal of the ending of the eviction ban, as well as a freeze on rents.
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