“Family love cannot replace proper public support,” said Catherine Wiley, CEO of the Catholic Grandparents Association (CGA) to The Irish Catholic, responding to a recent survey published by ALONE on the impact of rising living costs on older people.
“And public support cannot replace the love, the presence and the responsibility of the family,” Ms Wiley continued. “Older people need both, and neither one excuses the other.”
ALONE’s annual Cost of Living survey found that three in four older people (75%) have been affected by the rising cost of living this year. Additionally, 58% are struggling to pay bills, while 45% are going cold to save on energy costs.
Ms Wiley noted that in her work with the CGA, she often observes grandparents sacrificing their own security and comforts for their loved ones, specifically younger generations.
“Grandparents tell us they are going without so that their children and grandchildren will not have to. They mind grandchildren for nothing so that parents can go out to work. They hand over what little they have for school costs, for rent, for a deposit on a home. They turn the heating off and say nothing about it,” said the CGA CEO.
Ms Wiley praised ALONE’s work in illuminating the disproportionate impact of rising living costs on older people, and urged cooperation between CGA, ALONE, parishes, schools and the Government to combat the issue.
“No older person should have to choose between heating the home, buying food and staying connected to other people,” she said.
