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Pensioners are increasingly struggling to make ends meet and are receiving insufficient support from a Government "more interested in profit than people," a leading campaign group has said.
As a new report highlighted pensioners as one of the groups hit hardest by the island's growing poverty gap, Age Concern Jersey said the older generation were often forgotten about.
The report by the Jersey Community Relations Trust showed that 38% of all households in relative low income, after housing costs, were pensioner households.
Failing to address the poverty gap would risk "long-lasting damage to the economy and society", the JCRT warned.
Ben Shenton, Chairman of Age Concern, said the charity regularly witnessed pensioners experienced problems in making ends meet.
He said: “Many pensioners are surviving on a meagre income, increasing the likelihood of experiencing physical and mental health problems — this is no way for anyone to live, especially not in a ‘rich island’.
“They skip meals or replace fresh healthy foods with cheaper processed alternatives, and through necessity they will save on heating bills, living silently in cold conditions without reaching out because they don’t want to be a burden to anyone.”
Pictured: Ben Shenton, Chairman of Age Concern Jersey.
Age Concern Jersey's membership had quintupled in recent years, Mr Shenton said, leaving the charity doing “more than ever” to provide support for those who needed it.
He added: “If you are elderly, there is little you can do to increase your income so it is others, like Age Concern, to step up to the plate.
“Society often forgets their own when giving to charity and the growth in demand for our services is putting our finances under strain.
“With ageing demographics and a government seemingly more interested in profit than people, the problem will increase.”
The poverty report stated that almost one in five pensioner households lived on less than half the median income after housing costs, even with the help of income support.
Some older islanders owned property that had increased in value over many years and acted as a cushion for their finances, it added, but many did not and had limited ways of increasing their income.
Mr Shenton cited four ways in which the situation could be improved by the Government:
reviewing the general level of pensions and tax thresholds to ensure pensioners can survive without reverting to income support.
Reviewing winter fuel allowance to make it payable regardless of temperature thresholds.
Removing GST from food.
Developing policies aimed at improving the lives of an ageing demographic.
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