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Older people as a “burden”: poverty and old age - Myth and Reality

“I think it’s the stress that’s overlooked — the actual stress that poverty causes”

(Ruth, aged 76)

Another stereotype is that all older people are poor and a burden on society. It dates back to the Elizabethan and Victorian Poor Laws and the powerful image of the workhouse as a main provision for those too old or incapacitated to work. It still affects the way we see old age and our attitudes to older people. But does the stereotype hold true today?

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Older people as a “burden”: poverty and old age - Myth and Reality

Click on the statement below that comes closest to your view of poverty in today’s society

  1. Poverty is not having enough to eat and a roof over one’s head
  2. Poverty is having just enough to get by, but not enough to do many of the things which most people in the society take for granted

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Older people as a “burden”: poverty and old age - Myth and Reality

Poverty is not having enough to eat and a roof over one’s head

The first definition really applies only to developing countries where many people live on less than $1 per day and are in danger of starvation. This is absolute poverty. But to use this measure in the UK would clearly be inappropriate as no one lives on such a low income, and it would further imply that everybody with an income of above $1 per day did not suffer from serious deprivation.

Poverty is having just enough to get by, but not enough to do many of the things which most people in the society take for granted

The second, relative, definition of poverty is the generally accepted one in the UK and in other developed societies. Relative poverty is essentially concerned with a lack of possessions, or ability to do things, which are considered “normal” or “essential” in society. Of course, what is considered normal depends on the society in which ones lives (Palmer, Carr and Kenway, 2005).

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Older people as a “burden”: poverty and old age - Myth and Reality

To be in poverty in our society is generally accepted as having possession of an income of less than 60 per cent of the average (median) income in the UK population as a whole. In 2003/4 this was £180 per week for a two-person household and £100 per week for a single–person household (Palmer, Carr and Kenway, 2005).

But are most older people poor by this yardstick?

How many pensioners do you think were living in poverty in 2003/4 according to 2005 statistics? click Next to find out

  1. 20%
  2. 40%
  3. 60%
  4. 80%

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Older people as a “burden”: poverty and old age - Myth and Reality

A is the correct answer

In 2003/4, just 20 per cent of pensioners – around 2 million – lived in poverty.

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Older people as a “burden”: poverty and old age - Myth and Reality

How many pensioners had no income other than the state retirement pension and state benefits?

  1. 1.2 Million
  2. 1.9 Million
  3. 2.4 Million
  4. 2.9 Million

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Older people as a “burden”: poverty and old age - Myth and Reality

A is the correct answer.

1.2 million pensioners have no income other than the state retirement pension and state benefits, and around two-fifths of the pensioner households entitled to Council Tax Benefit and Pension Credit are not claiming it.

Some groups within the older population are particularly likely to be poor, notably: couples over 75 years of age, and older women in this age group who live alone.

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Older people as a “burden”: poverty and old age - Myth and Reality

Moreover, a significant number of older people have modest incomes and are only just above the poverty line.

But the incomes of older people are unevenly distributed. The one-fifth of older people who are well off have four times the average income of the poorest one–fifth and inequalities between rich and poor continue to increase. (Sources: National Statistics Online, 2005; New Policy Institute and Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 2005)

So, you might reach the conclusion that the stereotypical view that old age equates with poverty is a distortion of the available evidence. However, poverty remains a significant issue which diminishes and restricts the lives of many older people, jeopardising their basic needs for adequate housing, heating and nutrition, and excluding them from things considered normal or essential in society.

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Older people as a “burden”: poverty, old age and Mental Health

Poverty is also a barrier to good mental health in later life.

Consider the following aspects of older people’s lives which are threatened by poverty, and click on those you think are prerequisites of mental health and well being

  1. Being independent and making choices
  2. Participating in leisure and social activities outside the home
  3. Making a contribution to family and community
  4. Maintaining morale and self-esteem

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Older people as a “burden”: poverty, old age and Mental Health

In fact, all of the statements are prerequisites of mental health and all are threatened by poverty. There is a further danger. The stereotype of universal poverty in old age contributes to its negative image. It stigmatises older people by feeding the myth that they are a burden and it contributes to their low status in society.

You have now examined attitudes to older people as reflected in media images, in everyday language and in stereotypes of old age. But what of the attitudes of older people themselves? You will be able to consider these next.