Older people in Stirling and Clackmannanshire are buying less food so they can save money to heat their homes as energy costs spiral, a charity has found.
Details shared with Food Train, which makes shopping deliveries to over-65s across the regions, have heightened fears that increasing numbers will become malnourished as they try to manage gas and electricity bills amid rapidly rising prices.
One Stirling resident said: “I might have to reduce my shopping. I don’t know how to save money on energy because I need to keep warm. When the temperature drops, I suffer pains.”
Food Train has written to Scottish Secretary Alister Jack, calling on the UK Government to double the amount paid in its previously announced Pensioner Cost of Living payment to help people cope with the crisis.
Food Train chief executive Michelle Carruthers said: “Our members are very worried about the winter ahead. Many have no idea how they’ll cope. Some will have to juggle between keeping warm and keeping fed.
“This puts people’s lives in danger. Without immediate action, alarming numbers of older people are going to be at greater risk of malnutrition and social isolation this winter, causing further health problems and putting further strain on our already under-pressure NHS.
“The reports we are hearing from our members are heartbreaking, alarming and unacceptable.
“Their concerns are clear and are growing. Doubling the new Pensioner Cost of Living payment will go at least some way towards keeping the heating on and the cupboards stocked this winter.”
Taking part in a survey looking at the cost-of-living crisis and its impact on older peoples’ ability to eat well, another Stirling resident said: “I am even more careful to make things last – food, energy, clothes. I use a throw in the evenings and over the duvet on my bed to keep warm.”
Food Train works with more than 3,000 older people each year across Scotland, helping them to eat well and live well in their own homes through a range of shopping, meal making, befriending and other support projects.
The charity’s survey of members across the country found:
* 27 per cent of those questioned had started buying less food;
* 25 per cent said they would struggle to pay their bills (with 37 per cent having already dipped into savings to make ends meet);
* 30 per cent have switched to cheaper food brands;
* 60 per cent said they will heat their home less;
* 41 per cent are cooking more often by microwave to save heating their oven.
Others are going out less often to save money, increasing the risk of social isolation.
Food Train’s grocery shopping service has faced sustained record-high demand across Scotland since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, making more than 60,000 shopping deliveries across Scotland in the last 12 months.
To find out about how Food Train email shopping@thefoodtrain.co.uk or call 0800 3047924. To register as a volunteer, go to www.thefoodtrain.co.uk.
