Makes me so angry ...

[SIRandyraven]

On the news an old person , slowly freezing to death because of a broken boiler and money to get it fixed.
They should move her into one of the illegal immigrant holding centres. Sure they have warm rooms or maybe an MP could give up a second home for a few weeks ?

I'm not a socialist , but seeing things like this on the new does pee me off. What a society we live in.

[dotty.]

yes craft, and the generation before you sees women living into their 90s that never had the choice of contributing to their own pension in most cases. they will have been housewives and mothers mainly and not worked at all.

[Dris]

B00 -think I overposted -my Dad worked all his life legit -he did 'foreigners' if he could get them at night times or weekends.
Most of you will have had a tradesman doing an odd job for you nights or weekends -i have.
Im only posting this as you can all slate me and rip the p1ss out of all you like BUT dont tip the p!ss out my dad -and that goes for you Innovation inparticular.

[tiggerblue10]

If that was my grandmother I'd get it sorted for her and pay for it. As others have said where are her family? Surely she must have someone around to help her. I would never let my parents or grandmother suffer like that.

[dotty.]

yes tigger but the right solution would be for her family to ring warmfront and tell them to get their arse in gear and get the boiler fixed!

[tiggerblue10]

Indeed Dot.

[Barmaid]

I don't know what the state pension is, but I know it is not much. I can only speak for my grandparents. My grandfather retired in his 50s when an old war injury became too much for him. Nonetheless, he and my nan (through working all the hours god sent) managed to buy their council house. Now at 84 and 86 they live on their state pension. That has to buy EVERYTHING. Repairs to their roof (needed recently), keeping the car (a 12 year old Skoda), a new washing machine (again recently needed), repairing the garden fence and a new shed after next door's tree collapsed on it (yes I know they didn't need to pay for this because it was next door's fault and I am currently dealing with the legal issues for them) etc. They will not accept money off us but I can provide legal/letter writing for them, my sister cooks for them if Nan is ill and my brother rocks up and does house repairs for them so I suppose they have more than most.

So B00 makes a fair point. For every day living, they cope. But on the other hand for anything major they have a problem. When they were burgled last year (and the sods took the small amount of cash they kept and my grandmother's small amount of jewellery), the insurance company refused to pay out (that was until BM and Mother of BM got involved - the latter is REALLY scary!). We really fel they were being taken advantage of because of their age.

However they save, and they save hard. And every Christmas they give a very generous Christmas present to their only daughter and their 3 only grandchildren. Every year we object and make the point that WE should look after THEM. Every year we are told to shut up and "at our age, we will do as we please".

We are very lucky to have them. But there are many many old people out there who have no one. My neighbour is a case in point. Her husband died 20 years ago, and she has no children. Who is there for her?

[starone]

Dris I think you said your dad was a plasterer. Not a very nice job. Hands always wet and having to reach into difficult places. And being in the building trade likely to get laid off in the winter. I have known men laid off on Christmas Eve and no more work until spring - if they were lucky. I have known other men, bricklayers specifically wait outside the brickyards until the lorries came out and then follow them (on push bikes) to find out where they were dropping their loads and hoping to get taken on for the duration of the job. Your dad was a very hardworking man and deserves whatever he can get which apart from his pension is probably not much. Well done from another old age pensioner.

[Dris]

Thank you Starbuckone -that meant the world to me as thats exactlty the life my dad had.He worked over 50yrs doing that job-one of the hardest in the building trade.Hope you are enjoying your retirement :) x

[askyourgran]

Dotty that was my mum, she didn't go to work (part time) until our youngest sister was leaving school, so she never got a proper state pension. She had to wait I think until my Dad drew his pension and then it was a few pence a week. After dad died she got a widows pension. I think that was about £84 a week, plus the attendence allowance I got for her because my brother looked after her every day. Fortunately she had always saved when Dad was alive and she still tried to do that. My brother paid her a small amount towards his keep. I think it was her wartime mentality that got her through it all.