Elderly skipping meals to cut costs

Meanwhile, the over-60s are skipping meals to save money. One in five older people is skipping meals to save on food costs, and two-fifths are struggling to afford essential items such as electricity according to research by Age Concern and Help the Aged. Pensioners on low incomes face a higher than average inflation rate the report said, and miss out on up to £5 billion in benefits each year. The charity is calling for a package of measures including a commitment from the government to roll out automatic payment of income related benefits such as pensioner credit and council tax benefit.