Independent Age responds to higher than expected deaths in elderly

“Today’s figures are very worrying and we need Public Health England to thoroughly examine the reasons for them and consider how they can be prevented in future years. We know that cold weather can have a lethal impact on elderly people. Older people must keep their room temperatures higher than younger people to stay healthy, and are likely to spend a lot more time indoors but over 1.1 million older people live in fuel poverty and struggle to heat their homes. The government needs to do more to tackle this problem and consider whether there is more specific advice and support that should be given to this particularly vulnerable group.”