Quote:
Originally Posted by Deeno
I'll let my neighbor know, across the road how well off and smug you guys are.
Getting a bit elderly now, she lost her husband a decade or more ago. Owning her own house and with a bit of a nest egg, she thought she would live out the rest of her days comfortably.
Well, the car went with the big jump (Charade) in fuel prices a couple of years ago and now relies on the dismal public transport system and the occasional lift.
I know with the last round of electricity price increases she is now turning off her hot water and is not using her oven. And we can expect more price rises in the near future.
She never complains and would never take a handout but, we keep an eye on her as her place is almost always dark. Hopefully she can afford to keep the place warm next winter.
If only we would look after our own......
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If you really want to help her out, make a Centrelink booking for her, and get the ACAT team out to help her manage her finances and day to day living.
If she owns her own home, and has no debt, she should be able to live reasonably well in that area, and afford to run a car for local driving.
If she can't, then she isn't getting all the services she is entitled to.
I see many elderly people each week (I work part time in aged care) and many of them live with the lights off and don't run their heaters etc. because of an incorrect perception of the costs of doing so, (or because they have not sorted out their paperwork and are not getting the payments they are entitled to) when in actual fact they have enough to live fairly comfortably, and there are many services available to help them out in their homes.
There is no need for her to be living in the way you describe, the only people I see that own their own home that can't afford heating often have a gambling problem or another drain on their finances that can be addressed.