Out in the cold

Quality in Ageing and Older Adults features a group of articles on inequalities amongst older people in Ireland.  These include studies on the relationship between age and social exclusion in rural areas, the effects of recession on older people in Northern Ireland and the Republic and the relationship between cold housing and health and wellbeing.  A survey for Age UK found that "the number of older people owing money has risen sharply over the last year."  The latest figures on fuel poverty from the Department of Energy and Climate change recently reported a fall in numbers of households in fuel poverty for 2010, but predicted a rise for subsequent years.