Awareness of cold increasing falls in elderly

A council in Yorkshire gave their full backing to the recently-held National Fuel Poverty Awareness Day, pledging their support for measures to tackle the growing problem of residents – and older people in particular – having to make the decision between heating and eating.  

The 2014 National Fuel Poverty Awareness Day was held across the country on Friday 28^th March, and Councillor Symon Fraser of East Riding of Yorkshire Council urged local residents to ‘be aware of the dangers of fuel poverty and to do what they do best, which is look out for friends, neighbours and vulnerable people who may be at risk and encourage them to seek the help that is out there’.

The charity National Energy Action (NEA) once again coordinated fuel poverty awareness events nationwide this year, and Maria Wardrobe, who is the group’s Director of External Affairs, said that she and her colleagues ‘welcome the support of East Riding of Yorkshire Council’ that was given on the day.

Council dedicated to tackling fuel poverty

From the provision of stair lifts in Manchester to the promotion of events like this in Yorkshire, local government officials and the general public alike are well aware of how important it is to constantly improve the steps that are taken to protect the health and wellbeing of older members of their communities, given the rapidly ageing UK population.

One of the issues of foremost concern in the East Riding of Yorkshire and beyond, as noted in this article, is that ‘a cold home affects mobility, increasing the risk of falls in the elderly and worsens the symptoms of arthritis’, reinforcing the fact that more needs to be done to turn around the current situation for good and that mobility aids could become an increasingly vital part of the British home.

The East Riding of Yorkshire Council is one of many local authorities around the UK that is doing all it can to ease fuel poverty in their area; as well as offering advice on keeping warm via their website through their private sector housing team, they also run the pioneering YORswitch service, which aims to address the common problem of residents being unable to change their energy provider.

Image Credit: William Warby (flickr.com)