Britain's Forgotten Pensioners | Dispatches | Channel 4 Documentaries
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- čas přidán 7. 06. 2023
- One in five pensioners - 2.1 million people - live in poverty in the UK. Dispatches follows four older people through the winter as they struggle to make ends meet.
Includes discussions of mental health and suicide.
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yet 250+ million was spent on a coronation for 2 over indulged adulterous pensioners, while these hardworking pensioners are neglected. that's disgusting
Government is supposed to help pensioners
Not the crown
Sorry 😢
But pensions ? And savings all their life
Where are Harry’s kids to help harry and their mother ???
Australia 🇦🇺
it must really hurt to see all the money that goes to royal things but it's your government that's letting you down you PM is richer than the king!! how can he possibly know what these people are going through lives in a different world
the royals have to be abolished
The PM is not richer than the king, not even close
Yes it’s quite gross. They should pay from their personal money.
That brought me to tears when he cried about not being able to do his woodwork, the thing he loved to do. Loneliness and poverty, terrible.
I'd love to give him a thousand dollars just to see him be happy and make some more bowls, have food and whatever they need. Don't know how long that would last but would love to even though I am not rich. Where are their kids? Gov't?
Me too!!
MISERS!
😢😢😢
Poor old fella, just terrible
This is why my pensioner mum lives with me and my husband. She only gets state pension.
We support her, as I couldn’t cope with seeing her living like this. I’m so sad for all these people.
good on you❤
We need more people like you Ma’am. I too will be taking care of my parents when the time comes, there’s no way this is acceptable. I blame the climate change bozos for a lot of this tbh🙏🙄
@@megansummersides4255 They're all policies and deliberately created crises to further the agenda of the World Economic Forum. Charles and William are very, very involved in that. You can be sure they're not worried about heating and eating.
Wow, very caring husband. I wouldn't have my mother in law living with me!
Living in Family. Take care of you mom.❤
I’m a pensioner on my own in the UK. One of the best ways to combat the cold, is the electric throw (£30) (not an electric blanket) They cost 1 or 2p per hour, and keep me completely warm till I go to bed. My gas bill has been so much lower since.
I feel they should be given out free to pensioners.
Electric throws are awesome! Especially when living in damp cold
For when you're out of bed, quartz room heaters are efficient and produce crisp, dry heat, but have to be kept away from flammables.
Also recommend wearing an indoor OODIE ( correct spelling ) type garment.
Sadly to say your government don't care. They will never give you anything free.. same way in the United States..
Where do you buy them ?
Our twilight years shouldn't be spent living in the cold and dark, reusing tea bags and leaving milk by the door because you can't afford to turn the bloody fridge on. Hearing John say he lays out his funeral arangements on the sofa before going to bed each night really got me in the feels.
I agree. I live in Australia which is apparently a wealthy country but older people are suffering at a level which has never been seen before. Old people are today living in tents with absolutely no hope of even public housing 😓
0😅❤❤😂🎉😮😅
❤ 41:21
@@PS-Straya_M842:11
My heart hurts for elderly people struggling with loneliness and poverty. I just want to hug them and take their hurt away. God bless them all.
Me too. 😔
Thank you ❤
Wish there was a pen pal program so they can chat with people have someone to chat with technology needs to be used for less greed and more human contact across the globe we all need to not feel alone
These use to be young people.....some to forget this will be them sooner or later.
old people in america have a retirement
"I don't know what the meaning of the word love is, I wouldn't know how to love somebody." That is so profoundly sad. Poor sweet lady, bless her soul.
I understand exactly what she's saying sadly
That's because they are British, who are notoriously haughty and anti social and think they're better than everyone else. Elderly in other cultures don't stuff the same problems
I'm 65 and live in Hawaii. Retired in Dec 2020 and fell in a deep depression and loneliness shortly after. Called a brother on the mainland, called a neighbor that I thought was my friend, and drove down to a local gym to see another guy that I thought was my friend. Cried my eyes out to them. None ever called back. Called a shrink, also no call back. Called suicide hotline twice and got a recording. Saw a social worker dude and he called back the next day, but never again. I'm living proof that reaching out doesn't always help. Thank God I was strong enough to withstand that dark period on my own. Accepted the FACT that some people are indeed destined to go at it alone.
@markmarkyyy5632 Sorry for your plight. United Self Help is an anxiety and depression support group with meetings online. Very difficult to find support for depression because people who don’t experience it, don’t understand. In mainland USA, I use DBSA support group. Helpful for me to find others that understand what you are going through and can provide peer support.
I take it you don’t have kids?
@@leonhenry4861 Never married.... no kids... 3 sisters and 4 brothers; all married and living their own lives on the mainland.
❤ keep reaching, there are those who care
Hang in there. Go out shopping at your local grocery store and get some interaction with people there. Join a local church.
I’m not rich but I want to buy some heat for these people! Somebody have mercy. Judge a society by how they treat the vulnerable. Shame on the government.
You can easily live on the state pension IF YOU OWN YOUR OWN HOUSE. I do. I have other income but my weekly outgoings are less than my state pension. When I buy a brand new MPV to replace my existing one in a few years, it will take a chunk out of my accumulated savings but I don't see any of these pensioners buying a brand new MPV ... do you ? NO-ONE MENTIONED RENT. That is the killer. With property prices through the roof and more and more people falling prey to the By-To-Let Scum, many of the bigger ones being New York based hedge funds who sweat their tenants for every penny they have, it is only going to get worse.
With the cost of electricity and gas having gone through the roof, people are cutting back. I live in an all electric house, gas is for fools. When you take the standing charge into account, a new gas boiler costing a fortune every 20 years on average, plus the cost of servicing etc you are spending £500 a year before you burn a single therm of gas. You can buy an awful lot of electricity for that.
One of the ways that these bastards are getting people is with the standing charge. Before the Ukraine crisis, my electricity standing charge was £57 and a few pence per annum .... it is now a little more than £145 per annum. I don't know but I suspect that if I was stupid enough to have gas, I would find that the gas standing charge has done much the same.. The cost per kWh of both gas and electricity has gone through the roof but it is worse than that for these old folk. John has turned his fridge off (a false economy. the electricity used to run the fridge turns into heat, and I suspect that he has the last of the milk in those bottles going off occasionally). Every one of these old folk had cut down on their fuel usage, and John running the calor gas stove is just tearing up £10 notes ... he is still paying standing charges for gas and electricity. The result of cutting down on usage of gas and electricity is that the newly inflated standing charge is a bigger and bigger proportion of the bill. I wouldn't mind betting that for at least one of their bills, if you divide the total bill by the kWhs used, we will see that some of these old folk are paying more than £1 per kWh.
There is no excuse for the increase in the cost of electricity. Just about every wind turbine and commercial solar farm in existence today was operating, or was in the course of construction before the crisis and the investment made with the prospect of a stonking profit at the prices prevailing before the crisis. The owners, again some of them being New York hedge funds, are feasting on the prices that they are getting now at the expense of these old people. They will argue that their costs have gone up. The only cost that has gone up is a pay rise for their maintenance people which amounts to less than 1% increase of their total costs. They are not affected by interest rate increases because they have been clever enough to lock their interest rates or the investment is of money that they had lying around so is not borrowed. I avoid these costs in the Winter, as in recent years, I have spent the coldest months of the year in Slovakia ... electricity, less than 10 pence per kWh, I travel free on the trains but full fares average about 7 pence per mile. Petrol and diesel is more than 20% cheaper than in Britain and you can park almost everywhere for free. When I tell Slovaks about parking charges at hospitals they are open mouthed .... "Nie ! Nie ! Ako môžete spoplatniť parkovanie v nemocniciach ?" (No ! No ! How can you charge to park in hospitals ?). Parking at the railway/bus station in the town is also free .... for as long as you like ... days if you are away for a while. They have an annoying habit of charging
I used to spend time at a food bank for a few days in November, (Christmas coming up and heating bills in the Northern hemisphere) and was given the nod as to whom was the most deserving, nearly always, first time visitors. I approached them discreetly outside on the pavement to offer them £100 as a gift. My target was £2,500 per year. The money was given on the promise that they would never tell anyone. For benefits purposes, I told them that they didn't have it. It remained mine until they spent it. I had people in desperate need, and I tell you, DESPERATE need, who had put off the shame of visiting a food bank for the first time until the cupboard was completely bare, who, unbelieving, initially refused it saying that they couldn't possibly take it until I told them that if they didn't someone else would. It is very emotional when women break down in tears and put their arms round you and say that they were contemplating suicide. After a few years, I was persuaded to stop doing it by the food bank when someone, just someone, had blabbed and they were invaded by drug addicts demanding to talk to the man with the money.
If you want to do something useful, write to your M.P. and get your friends to do the same. There are many Tory M.P.s who are feeling decidedly uncomfortable about their majorities. Abolishing standing charges in favour of a minimum charge, say £80 per annum to prevent redundant connections.would greatly ease the situation for these old folk, reducing the aggregate cost per kWh to that of the rich and well off destablising the grid with their poncy electric cars. It is not right that the poor should be paying a fortune in standing charges to subsidise the rich. The same applies with cars. One of them drives a car but said that they had cut usage to a minimum but they are still paying the same for MOTs, Road Fund Licence, Insurance Premium Tax (Thank you very much, Gordon Brown) and what about parking charges at hospitals ? These are all taxes which hit unfairly at the poor and those on below average incomes.
Well, maybe the rest of us should follow their lead, and also shut down or heating. Would be better for the enviroment. I sleep with 2 quilts over me during the winter months.
This breaks my heart. Why aren’t there energy rebates for older people. That poor man crying. Makes you want cry with him.
@@drmimzz309 the only thing that comes to mind is that old people don't vote. So why would politicans care about people that don't vote.
@@PeterTissot-cx7qd Oh yes they DO. Postal votes & many queue at the Polling stations. They are used to queueing.
Nobody has "forgotten" them, this government is well aware of everything they are doing!
The government saves money if we die off.
Our Government doesn't have a magic money tree, the thousands of economic immigrants residing scot-free in various hotels I'm guessing disagree, and those people arrived here illegally and have paid nothing into our system, but we still have utter fcukwits in these comments finger wagging over a few pensioners that didn't plan or save and now can't afford to switch on a fridge.
If only the same fcukwits in the comments had the same enthusiasm towards the economic immigrants that are treating this country like some kind of theme park and raping the guts out it, they might just see it if they look up from the smartphone screen now and again and take a good look around.
Tents in France, luxury Hotels here in Disneyland, OH! OH! Why do they keep coming ?
WAKE THE FECK UP!
What they keep getting is why they keep coming, that's why they ''pass through'' various safe countries for here.
They get all the goodies here, stop finger wagging on our OWN PEOPLE!
Notice the government don't do many campaigns or awareness of benefits old people could be claiming but they make sure they're claiming everything as an MP.
They are aware of much people are suffering that is I hope so.
This man is the same age I am. I don’t stay in all day, every day, I get on the FREE Bus & go places. Shops are free to enter & look around & much warmer than staying at home burning energy, so are some Museums, or you can get in on cheap Concessions……same with Cinemas. Also, what’s he doing in a family-sized house on his own ? It would be cheaper & warmer for him to live in a Flat. There are ways & means around this. If the Government won’t help, then help yourself.
I cannot believe that the elderly are treated like this. This is horrific.
They are worth nothing to the machine.....
Starbucks less than point 1 of a percent tax
This couple army vets high tax payer “screwed” (something is broken)
I'm sorry but the government does not care to much about the elderly. Just look at the deaths in care homes during the covid pandemic
All I heard was "waa waa I want free heating waa waa I want a better house"
We are a 6 figure income retired couple and had very little saved and not much cash lying around the preverbal". '...don't have £500 for an emergency" that was us. The big thing was debt all kinds of it, cars mortgage (although our home isn't a high price one), student loans for our kids, and of course credit cards.
One day we just got sick of being broke and went total scorched earth and became frugal overnight. Paid it all off, it took almost 5 years but now we have no debt and this year our savings rate is 50% on basically the same income that had us perpetually broke.
So for us it is mainly staying out of debt and watching our spending, at first it was a real effort to save in our HISA and 401Ks but now it's actually fun watching our money grow. No car or vacation or neighborhood is worth being broke or financially unstable.
Do their children know about what their parents are going through? Having to have to cut down on everything is so hard on these old folks.
Kids, pls take care of your parents😭😭
yes. but the children, even the daughters, have their own Lives. And they häve to word for their pensions too.
I'm a pensioner, i rarely eat meat or fish, keep the heating and lights off and use a candle and hot water bottles in the winter, no social life, can't afford to go out or have a holiday, I live alone and have cancer. I worked for over 50 years and now live on a pension. I've just been awarded pension credit so things will improve a bit as long as prices don't keep going up. It's still a very small amount to live on. I don't smoke or drink alcohol, don't have a TV, it's no joke being a pensioner in the UK but I will say that I have had excellent NHS care and at least I keep slim eating lots of veg, noodles and rice. My luxury is bottled sparkling water and sometimes a pot of tea in a coffee shop. Loneliness is the worst part of aging
Try potatoes eggs and beans
Are there any local community centres near you? Even going once a week to something like the salvation army to have a chat might help your mood. I really hope things improve for you.
Sorry to hear your story
Yes it sad
England not looking after you
Don't give hope
Am here for a chat
I was homless few years ago
I decided to go to France
I was there for few weeks
Mixing with migrates
There were 50 migrates in a dinggy boat
I quickly jump in also
We were picked up half way crossing the channel
Taken to a 4 star hotel
Free food all day
Free GP
Free dentist
Free pocket money
Free local travel only
Free benifits. Hair cut
Clothing
Shoes
Waiting list on the council
This was for 3 years
Because millions keep coming to UK every year
I slip in the net
I was just a another number
Good news I wasn't homless
True story
Secret was not to speak English
Today my flat and full time job
I slip the net
Because I had my paper work
Nobody noticed
Just want to get Postive energy back in me
Street wise tal
In addition to poverty conditions
here in the USA, we also struggle with basic Health Insurance prices.
Our *for profit* hospitals, etc.
affect even the elderly, since
prescribed medications are also
a *business* and all about profit
over people.
I worry for my children, their road is much tougher than my generation's was.
I am extremely hopeful that it's the Grandchildren who will restore the planet as well as some humanity into the Business of Health.
@@ula6222 sad
Beginning America
Never understand
Why spending
Trillions and trillions every year to Israel
Billion and billions to Russia war
Last year
Went to the States
Unbelievable poverty and poor people
Drugs and guns
Am safer in gaza
Just come back from Saudi Arabia
Unbelievable
Spending massive investment in 2030
Trillions and trillions
Beautiful country
Beautiful building
Beautiful people
Laws very strict
Once that was sea desert
No rain
And have beautiful parks
Ues the Arab sea
For water
Technology we'll ahead 70
Years
UK sinking
Becoming a third world country
Sad
And we had oil
North of England
Unfortunately didn't invest such a small country
England sold everything back 1970
Some historical facts
15.37 I am SO pleased to see that this couple, despite their struggles, have managed to retain their cat and a small dog. Pets are the most wonderful companions and comforters in old age. Bless them for their effort to retain a dignified lifestyle in the midst of this catastrophe for the elderly.
I have watched a lot of these documentaries over the last few days, and this is the second documentary that has had me in tears (the first being the paramedics who found a 90 year old lady fallen outside in snow waiting for an ambulance for more than 4 hours) this Country really has failed its people, makes me so angry! 😡
If you judge a country by how it treats its elderly, then the UK is failing miserably.
It’s not so much that it’s failing it’s the length of time that it’s failing
The sheer waste there is hardly anybody untouched by this hunger cold
Not enough doctors dentists hungry children total mismanagement
Brought about by pampered assholes. expenses food travel housing paid for and
Called The right honourables more like dishonourables
And so Italy!
It’s not failing it HAS FAILED we are now worse than a third world country
How BOTH the elderly and poor are *miss* treated here in the USA gives us a "grade" of
D.
that is right. Same in germany. Nobody helps my father, who is very very ill. I do not have the means and I am exhausted from his needs. He needs, he needs so much.
The way the lovely, old lady's eyes lit up when they handed her a hamburger reduced me to tears.
I think it was a bacon roll - most people's eyes would light up at the sight of one!
It was a bacon sandwich
but yes. It is a National
Scandal all this, 13 Years
Of Tory rule & the milking
of our OAPS & Disabled
ppls benefits forcing
Our Vulnerable into
Destitution; an
absolute disgrace!🙏🇬🇧
😊
The lady that said she lived in her house for 35 years and in all that time only 2 people have ever knocked on her door made my heart sink.
Made me cry my eyes out. Wish I could help her.
@@foppo100 Did you pay attention to the video?
Doesn’t make sense. Gas company, package delivery, , etc.@@foppo100
I would move in with her in a heart beat. She’s lush
@@foppo100 Exactly. Having no friends is a choice.
The gentleman near the end of video laying out important papers has the right idea and kudos to him, especially as he has no relatives left to take care. I’ve spent a career urging people to have such paperwork completed and available to spare others needless grief when they already feel horrible that you’ve died. This chap is very thoughtful of others.
Disgraceful. It is the same all over the rich get treated differently to the needful. You work all your life and pay your dues, only to be treated like second class citizens when you retire.
Yes my grandad did this (not daily) but every thing was together and in order, including passwords. It gave him a lot of peace
God bless these elderly folk; my heart goes out to them!!
Omg . Him laying his funeral instructions out before he goes to bed each night because he has no one left. Broke my heart 💔
When grandad cried because he couldn't make bowls...I can't watch any further. We have the same issues here in South Africa but my heart broke for him😢
you should have kept watching, he found a cheaper wood supply and could begin to do a little bit...
Me too, truly heartbreaking
yes he was able eventually to use his lathe again but for a shorter time. because he found he had some more benefits coming in..@@fijaystudio
My heart goes out to these dear senior citizens! How can the government be so callous about their needs. Thank God for the food banks!
I have watched this documentary from Netherlands and I felt the sorrow and bleakness of their lives. Actually all people who in their uncompromising dedication kept a system running that dropped them blithefully out of the human contract of mutual awareness . Loneliness kills. I feel regret for what they feel every minute being awake .
Shame on the British government for letting these people suffer like this. Shame on them.
No poor old people in other countries then
@@tenniskinsella7768 of course. This was about Britain. America is worse which is where I live.
@@tenniskinsella7768are you Russian? This is the tactic they use.
hope karma catches up with them
At least they're not speaking German.
Oh my god....this is awful!! So not only are they broke but they're cold, hungry, lonely and can't afford any social activities. How depressing is that?? Every politician in the UK should be made to watch this. How do they sleep at night?? This is NOT okay.😔😔😔
Don't worry!!!! There WILL BE A PAYDAY FOR THEM. AND IT WILL BE JUST!!!!! Our God is not mocked!!!!When the elderly are abused GOD NOTICES!!!!!!
@@sandratankersley8470 oh I hope so 🙏🙏
The political parties know and don’t care enough about this to do anything.
How far has society come, when we treat our fellow man this way, not very! it is obvious after watching this , It is a true indictment on society as a whole.
@@sandratankersley8470 amen.
It is not a 'cost of living crisis'. It's a 'result of greed crisis'.
I’m noticing similar situations in the US everywhere I go there are people in their 70’s and 80’s barely able to walk stocking shelves and such. Our governments are truly evil
maybe they like to get out
This was a very sad and realistic view into the lives of many pensioners around the UK
And around the world .
It is not realistic or accurate
1 word broken down government done zero should take big pay
there do care would not help pensioners should a broken down
@@jackyblue67same10 where any thing has broken down expert talk of levelling up so where has gone
I’ve just registered to volunteer to help elderly people in my area. Thank you for the video 🥺
Well done !
I think tht's the most valuable comment I've read so far. Hands in! Kudos
Thank you!
Brilliant idea, don’t know why I never thought about it before. There must be something that I can do, even if I end up only helping one person 😢
That is wonderful, hope many more do the same
Even if you just call in for a chat, or get a few groceries or better still take a cooked meal.
Loneliness is a killer and the elderly have wonderful stories to tell. Let's all try better.
The elderly man who couldn’t run his equipment. He cut me to my heart. Terrible. But I see elderly that seem homeless too on top of everything else happening. It’s not easy to be homeless, but I suspect when you are elderly it’s harder. There has to be a way for people to live in dignity.
I know the feeling, in Winter I often don't speak to anyone for a week or 10 days and I'm only 68 yet.
Never thought I'd miss working but I do now.
Our country is an absolute disgrace. These people have paid into a system, that promised them it would look after them, for all their lives. Let down doesn't come close. Every pensioner deserves the right to live their twilight years without poverty. This government is a disgrace.
i couldnt have said it better myself, makes me not want to pay into a pension as it will be worth nothing by the time i (if i live that long) retire.
@@collinsd70 it should make you asses your retirement plan and pay more into pensions/ISAs and other forms of compound growth. We as a country don't save. This cost of living crisis is a recent issue, these people have had 50 years to plan for the future. I know i sound cruel but pointing fingers at everyone else does not improve your own sitiuation.
@@gregnewbrook7107 I am, don't worry about that.
They probably been on benefits all their lives and the kids they chucked out who are on the same benefits ! Have you ever been up to the NE of England 🫣
@@shsh-he5qg id rather not think about it, makes your blood boil.
I don't want to live to be old for this reason. Cannot think of anything worse.
Save your money in a bank account for the hard days !
I shed a few tears watching this. In a cold country heating is everything when you are in your 70s and 80s.
Why? They can all move into smaller places. They have only themselves to blame for not planning ahead.
Let this be a lesson for people who upgrade their car every year and get takeaway everynight.
I’ve been diligently working, saving and contributing towards financial freedom and early retirement, but the economy so far since the pandemic has eaten away most of my portfolio, what I want to know is this: Do I keep contributing to my portfolio in these unstable markets or do I look into alternative sectors.
Due to my demanding job, I lack the time to thoroughly assess my investments and analyze individual stocks. Consequently, for the past seven years, I have enlisted the services of a fiduciary who actively manages my portfolio to adapt to the current market conditions. This strategy has allowed me to navigate the financial landscape successfully, making informed decisions on when to buy and sell. Perhaps you should consider a similar approach.
In fact, I'm not sure whether I'm permitted to say this, but I'd suggest searching for “Margaret Johnson Arndt” as she gained a lot of attention in 2017. She is both my coach and the manager of my portfolio.
become a drug addict or an illegal immigrant then you will be looked after
Have a look at Royalties. For me, they're steadily growing income streams. I've abandoned Forex & reduced Stock Market participation to just Indexes & Dividend payers. The volatility (profit opportunities) have been massaged out the Market for Retail Investors. It really seems like the Market is rigged. Have you ever considered participation in Movie Production? Big risk. massive potential upside.
@@suilvenmountain2395 Human trafficking Venezuelan Fentanyl Cartel jefes have more class than MULTI-ACCOUNT FINANCIAL ADVISOR SPAM BOTS!!
you can tell they've worked hard all their lives and built beautiful homes
they deserve to get enough pensions to live in dignity
The price of every commodity rises but wages and pensions remain static.
@@manasseskamau5327 my old age pension has gone up quite a lot recently and I'm lucky I get a pension from late husbands firm I
Yes their houses are immaculate
@@teenjules2309cheeky 😂
What a disgrace for elderly people living like this, pure miserable life filled with despair, The useless Government should be held accountable for the deaths they have caused
And yet the government will has billions upon billions to send to Ukraine.
Many British are selfish and expect the taxpayer to care for their elderly
And their families, too (if they have any…).
Yet immigrants appear too get given everything,without ever paying in to the system.
Good luck with that 😢😡
We are one of the very few countries in the world who's sold our utility networks to foreign private companies. Incredible, and now we're surprised they are ripping outrageous profits from the system.
Thatcher's legacy.
It's terribly sad that the elderly are suffering so much. More needs to be done to help them
My husband and I are elderly here in the USA. We're on a fixed income, my husband's work pension and our social security retirements. Watching these poor folks choosing between food and heat was just heartbreaking!! Bless their hearts!
The isolation and loneliness, the disconnect from a healthy thriving community that was once the norm 20-30yrs ago for pensioners has also deeply shocked and saddened me. My aunty had bingo nights and pub quiz nights, morning tea at community centres, as kids we’d go perform for them even. All this was organised for them including transport. I live in Australia now and i’m starting to see similar issues of isolation.
What’s the situation in the US in regards to this, may I ask?
I have been watching videos over recent weeks of the poverty and homelessness in the United States. Truly shocking. Poverty is everywhere and getting worse. We are going backwards.
Most of them voted for this
At least the government can find money for a coronation
No one goes hungry in the USA. Democrats are giving everything for free. And churches and food banks everywhere
Humanity is gone,the world is all about money. I weep for mankind
I share your feelings of despair, but when in human history has it ever been different? And yet, we do live on somehow. Don't give up.
That poor woman fostered out at 6 month. Never loved. What a life. She never learned to connect with people. It’s so sad.
It makes me sick to my stomach to see a man in his 80s, a veteran no less, not be able to eat three hot meals a day.
This is what put me off joining the army one time years ago when i saw how they treated veterans now
Shocking…not the England I grew up in. State pensions were never high, but one used to manage, as my gran did.
I can tell you pensioners are better off now than they've ever been.
Well my dad was a p o w for 5 years and was given no help when he got home or when he couldn’t work in his 50’s from ptsd , they should cut the money from those young girls and women that have kids with every bloke they sleep with then the pensioners could be looked after
@@jennifer1872 or maybe tax the multinational businesses that pay no tax, because there's more money out of that than there is compared to plunging children and parents into poverty - that few million is nothing compared to tax dodging companies.
I totally agree that it’s disgusting that share holders and those at the top of energy companies are getting huge bonuses while customers are struggling to heat their home. It shouldn’t be allowed.
But do you think are the party donors?
I work in the American stock market for a living and can tell you no shareholders here are getting rich on utility stocks. The shares are mostly held by pension funds and people who rely on the stable dividend payments every month to make ends meet. The big money is in tech and derivatives right now.
@@expensivefreedom just because they aren’t getting rich off stocks and shares doesn’t mean they should get let off. It’s still disgusting. I also said it’s disgusting that that those are the top are getting huge bonuses while there are people struggling to heat their homes.
@@EmilyCheetham you specifically mentioned shareholders though, which blatantly isn’t true. The executives and directors maybe, but the shareholders are almost all decent ordinary folks who need the monthly income the share dividends provide.
80% of Brits were happy to sanction one of the largest producers of energy in the world. What did you really expect would happen as fuel supplies were limited?
Thanks for the documentary, it has changed my mind to start thinking of creating voluntary programs for the elderly in my community.
👍🏻🙏🏻
God is love🙏@@homerwiggins3965
To whomever is watching this heartbreaking video, if you can, and are able to reach out to your loved one's, neighbours and people who are alone. Spread as much love as you can. It may mean life or death to someone. Check on your neighbours if they're elderly, the single parents who have mouth's to feed,tummies to keep warm and home's to warm. Every bit of love shown today could mean the world and help our world. ❤
Very sad episode to watch. Societies that treat retired people this way are missing so much wisdom and skills that can be passed along. It’s like we don’t exist anymore, useless and just a drain on society and it’s resources. To live like this is disgusting. God give them strength. That they are still here and doing their best is amazing. This snapshot of treating seniors this way is happening in a lot of countries.
Most of the rest of European countries give their Pensioners a lot more to live a decent life. Britain is appalling in its treatment of Pensioners. There should be a maximum that energy companies can charge pensioners and this should be means tested. I shop at certain shops that give discounts to Pensioners on certain days, like Iceland other shops give discounts with a store card system, these stores are trying their best to help our Pensioners. The government needs to support these companies and others to do more. Thankfully I have family that help me when I'm in trouble, but I feel so sorry for those without help of any kind.
What a respectful old guy keeping his place spotless and hes treated with such little respect
At his age he keep his home in immaculate condition and himself well groomed. Truly impressive. This gentleman as a veteran taxpayer deserves far better treatment from our government. Stop funding the stupid Ukranian war for strangers and look after our UK elders first.
@@jhawkins8264if you don't defend Ukraine Russia will be at your door soon, you numpty. Bet you voted for Brexit. This is your doing!
I cried when he said he couldn't continue with his wood turning.
And when she said she grew up not knowing what love is.
It's good to show pictures of them when they were young. ❤
I'm a russian citizen live in Russia. I watched this video I couldn't belive that it true life of pensioners in the UK. I had always thought that life in the UK is much better than in Russia but now I realese that it is not the case.
We are led to believe Russia is aggressive but that is not what the people are only leaders that lust for power and money care nothing about the people. Our leaders are no different they watch as we freeze and the elite take our money using laws that enrich them.
Take care
@@Cruner62 I can ensure you that not all people in Russia are brainwashed. There are different opinions about our leadership in society. Many people in our country just can’t do anything but comply with our leadership, its unfortunately reality not only our country, the most our world lives like that.
@@GlebKrylov I agree with that.
@@LeeLee-BB sorry to read that. Many people in Russia really image Canada as one of the most successful country in the world. So Canadian propaganda works.
Now, you are having a good laugh.
John deserves more, so much more. I'm sad and angry all at once! All of our older people demand respect and CARE.
This is heartbreaking and soul destroying to watch and know it’s happening. I know it’s not always been easy but, it’s even harder now. Bless them all 💔
At 62, I'm a little younger than the people in this documentary, but as someone with no family and few friends I can sympathize with their isolation. I too suffer with depression and anxiety. Sometimes it becomes almost unbearable.
you are not alone. 😢❤
❤
If you believe that there is a Creator who put you on this Earth for a purpose, research about Islam and read the Quran that was sent after the Gospel and the Torah.
This is my honest and sincere advice to you.
What do you think about this?
@@gulletinoaden6268 or she can reach out to her local church as most people in the U.K. are Christian and churches want to help. I have travelled the world and have seen every other religion help there own people but with Muslims I see very little of this......Also it's a fact and not an opinion that in the Quran there is a text telling Muslims to kill anyone who is not part of their religion.......No other religious book has this.
@@karenmbbaxter👍😪
Such lovely old folk. Nobody should have to live this, especially pensioner's who have worked hard all their lives. The saddest programme I have seen in a long time. 😢
@left_blank That is how the pensions were paid while these now old people were working Came out of their pockets!
The money for illegal migrants is coming out of your pocket. Which is more important, old people who have paid into the system for 40+ years, or illegal migrants who have paid nothing into the system?
But to give them more money, then would you like to pay more tax to fund it?
@SassySam Not bad eh, have a baby which keeps you from working for 18 years,...tax payers keep you in clover..amazing.
@SassySam Shame really that those young mothers didn't get married before having babies.
What we used to do in the good old days before the cancer of feminism.
Channel 4 needs to go back 6 months later. I want to know if anything in their lives has improved or gotten worse.
I think we all know the answer...🙄
They'll all be out of the house, & not returning.....😢
I'm 75 and living on Pension Credit; I have no savings at all, so live from week to week. The cost of heating has risen so drastically that the choice now is...shall I starve in a warm room or eat in a cold one? We aren't living, just existing! 😖🇬🇧
when my family lived in the UK my mother volunteered at something called meals on wheels. this was back in the 60s. The main thing the elderly really wanted was someone to talk to. things haven`t changed that much - have they?
No, unfortunately it is worse. 😢
Or as my Nan used to call it, "Muck in a Truck". She had them twice a week and what I saw, it was very good stuff. She had "Brandy", a lovely Heinz 57 terrier type. She was lovely. We inherited her when my Nan died. I cried when my Nan died, I cried when Brandy died. She was a lovely dog but one day the Muck in a Truck was delivered. The plates were one on top of the other separated by a metal ring ... main meal below and the pudding/sweet on the upper plate. She put the plates down, took the sweet plate off and put it to one side, and then took the ring that kept the plates apart back to the door for the volunteer to take away. She shut her front door and turned to see the one lamb chop on the floor and Brandy chewing the other. We didn't hear the end of it for months.
so did I
We have meals on wheels here in Australia, you pay, but only a low amount.
Are you ever sad?... "You should say do you ever feel happy".. such awful times we live in..
@R Williams what a disgusting pathetic thing to say you horrible horrible person.
I am 60 and i moved from the North of England in the 80s. I am so glad I did. I own a house, we have a car and we can heat and eat. 4 lovely kids and 2 grandsons. No money worries. My kids have done well.
I feel that this could be me if I had stayed.
This is a modern day horror story: Such a shame that in this day and age that many elderly folks in Britain have to live without basics such as plenty of food and heat in their modest homes.
Harry the 82 year old who used to turn wood bowls as a hobby 18:23 I wept along with him as he broke down in tears. For a country supposedly the worlds fifth wealthiest nation I see very few benefitting from it. The likes of Harry is a perfect example. No doubt worked his entire life to be "rewarded" by having his one little pleasure taken away from him.
There are, actually, quite a few benefitting from it ; eg, thousands of illegal migrants and refugees who are not British and have never contributed anything to this country. The Government has just announced another £150 million to help Ukrainians find homes.
It broke me into tears too - oh dear Giod why don’t we take to the streets like the people in France
@@stardust5397 And you know what they're protesting about? Macron proposing to increase state retirement age from 62 to 64! Think about that for a moment. Another example of how we have fallen.....when our energy companies (private) increased costs by a mind blowing 54%, France told its companies (state owned) to take the hit and increased just 4%.
I was just thinking how sad that is. Does he not have the equipment to do it, or just can't afford the electricity? I'd pay well over the odds for one.. should start a just giving page for him.
@@danielhilton9697 He can't afford the electricity bless his heart. I'm so sad for these ppl 😢 Although I'm not much better off! 😞
I watched this on tv last night. So sad. Had me in tears. So wrong in this day and age 😥😡
I'm on Social Security in the US. I receive $2200/month.Medicaire is $175 taken out of the check.That still leaves over $2000
Pensions in the UK really need to be much higher!
Thatcher started this, many people were blind to what was going on. This pretty much sums up the results. Despite what she said, there is a society, many poor, many disenfranchised. Greed, violence, poverty is riff. No one has the guts to change it.
You judge a society on how they treat the young old and weak, this government should hang its head in shame.
Today you judge a society based on how much foreign aid is given, how many refugees you resettle, and how diverse your workplace is.
I am a pensioner now living in Australia, but from '54 until 1989 I lived in England next door to pensioners who like the people in your video heated one room, shopped every day because there was no one to help. I said to my wife we are moving to Australia because when i'm a pensioner i do not to struggle like that. Best move we ever made. The neglected generation work all their lives, pay their taxes, never in trouble with the law, never in debt until now. I wish politicians see this video then look in the mirror and say " how can we help".
Which is this "neglected generation" of which you speak?
@@joebloggs6131 Probably the 'Silent Generation', those born between 1925 and 1945. The couple are that generation. Some of the single people in this documentary are Baby Boomers, though, like Doreen, the lady on her own.
Utility companies should never every have been privatised.Millions paid out each year to shareholders while millions cant afford to heat their homes. Its a disgrace.
C4, I hope you gave these people some money for sharing their predicaments. They really need it, bless them.
My heart aches for these pensioners. I am not too far away from being in the same situation and it frightens the life out of me. We should be able to look forward to our retirement and not dread what each day is going to bring, so sad 😞
Let this be a warning for the future to those who are still young.
Yeah, leave the UK asap.
We don’t have the luxury of owning our own homes and having money to save, and having multiple children to look after us in young age like these people would have had
Will we have a planet when they get to pension age.
Pensions are unsustainable now..... It won't be a thing by the time we get older.
If will be "Well we hope you saved enough to live on, cause otherwise your fuc*ked"
@@Bringon-dw8dx Sadly, this is true.
As an octogenarian I have the same feelings. no Drs visit no one no family all passed sold my house live in bedsit no help do all my own cleaning and cooking Immigrants get more help than I do
This is so sad. I hope that the people filming this documentary and these deserving people receive some funds, to be able to live their lives with basic necessities.
I nearly fell through the floor when Doreen said she was 68 I thought she was about 88. I'm 58 and get told I look in my 30s as I have a very smooth face. Poor Doreen's face is like 12 railway tracks which have all crossed over at the same time. She must havehad one hell of a hard life yet her inner beauty is still there shining through, god bless her
She said that she had smoked since she was 16. She she grateful that she doesn't have COPD and need continuous oxygen.
@@colleenpeck6347 I suppose with the life she had smoking might have been her only comfort as she said she felt nobody ever loved her. She seems quite a simple uncomplicated person but I feel she is lonely, so many elderly people the problem is not just lack of money but lack of human company
@@maximoo9861 Did you see her river view in ger backyard? She chooses to stay in her big house that is expensive to heat and maintain because that is all she has.
@@colleenpeck6347 she is in a council flat by the looks of it and they are often quite big especially ones built a long time ago.
my mom is 77 looks better face wise as she had a good life and dark people dont age faster than white.
I understand John, I have a magnetized folder marked in case of emergency stuck to my refrigerator with all my papers. I have some family, but they don't live close by. My funeral and cremation are paid for and all of that information is in the folder. It actually gives me comfort that I was able to take care of that myself and it won't burden my relatives.
Sad but that is where we pensioners who have paid NI for fifty years end up, If you were a Bum you would get housing, heat and £5k a year from the well orft Government
My folder is on the tv table it’s just one of those collect & cremate ones, I couldn’t afford a lavish funeral, will leave some cash so they can have a drink or two on me 😊
Im 70 years old thought id left this behind when i was a child
We were told by a certain Prime Minister
We never had it so good.
Politicians have had good for the last 70 years
Some elderly people don’t know about the benefits or they are too proud to ask for them as was the case with my in-laws. My own mother got help with her rent her utilities and was also given money for home help. She claimed that she was better off than she had been her whole life. Someone also came by at least once a week to check up on her. When she needed hospice at the end of her life they were wonderful and provided everything she needed or wanted. I could not praise them enough.
Very good😊😊😊
I am so sick of hearing this term 'a cost of living crisis'.....its greed, it's someone somewhere wanting their pound of flesh and should be seen as such!
Yes!
It's the cost of Tories crisis
Cost of living crises in lotscof countries I think food has gone down a bitv
@@modestproposal9114 oh when labour get in the cost of food will go down I woulnt bank on it.
can't name the someone or you will be deplatformed
Pensioners should be supported when it comes to heating. Its not like they can go out and earn a living.
Its much the same here in America for people who worked at low paying jobs all their lives. People on social security have to choose between food and medication. So a lot of us can't afford the medication our doctor prescribes. We have it rough, others have it worse. My heart just broke for these folks. We are in our sixties and I'm dreading how life will be in the coming years.
I think the government hopes we die. That way they don't have to pay our SS. 😢
amazing documentary has been produced by Channel 4 ! I do really love this kind of reviews.............. Thank you for the production of this
The worrying thing is that this is only going to get worse, The gig economy and self employed can barely afford their bills let alone pensions. We'll all be relying on the state pension and yet many of us aren't even earning enough to pay tax to help keep that system going. It's going to implode within the next 20 yrs.
..or afford to be housed due to high rents/high house prices and lack of social housing. We'll look at this as the good times in the future when we are on the streets or in workhouses.
@@ROCKPROFSoviet style collapse is on its way for us.
@@ROCKPROF It's gone full circle......we're practically back to the Victorian era.
@@shaunmckenzie5509 This is not extreme poverty. Also we all have the right to end our journeys when it best suits us. Regardless, what does not having kids have to do with this? No one should bring kinds into this effed up world just so that they can be taken care of later. That is maximum selfishness. What's more, the people in this video can't even logically think that getting together in a small 2-3 house community, sharing rooms, and selling their properties would do them a load of good.
@@trildi Even equity release could be a good solution for many. This documentary was just kinda odd.
this made me teary! no one should feel poor in a country like the uk
But lemme guess they will still send alot to the Queen, Ukraine and take in more of those disgusting sand-dwellers.
Oh the Great Britain 😂 think they need to lose the great part first of all
45 died a day during last winter due to the cold. Wow!
Brexit = no Trade = no money= economy screwed. And the Torys and their acolytes plunder what's left.
I'm feel the same watching this its heart Wrentching
For the Gentleman working with wood:
"Wood is just a one-syllable word, but behind it lies a world full of fairy tales and wonders"
Theses people who worked hard all their lives should not be suffering like this. I am heartbroken.
Billions for Ukraine, nothing for the vulnerable. Nice work, Sunak!!!
Agree! He just took English people's money and throw them into bloody useless war at the outskirts of Europe.
Refugees get better treatment. lol
Anyone, apart from those born and worked all their lives in the U.K. can get council housing and unknown quantities of benefits. Not only for themselves but all their relatives who seem to be in the equation.
I’m 75, have lived and worked here (and I do mean ‘worked’) all my life …..
Well, I wouldn’t mind seeing a doctor when needed ….
@@junebarber5673 "Anyone, apart from those born and worked all their lives in the U.K. can get council housing and unknown quantities of benefits."
Stop believing the nonsense you've been told. People like you voted to leave the EU and increase the bills because you are quick to believe that someone is getting more than they're entitled to.
If you can't get to see your doctor, move to a different surgery. It seems a lot of older people were so badly educated and discouraged from questioning anything, that they go along with the propaganda. Stop blaming migrants for the woes of the country. Blame the bloody Tories who caused it.
Sunak & the like don't care. Simple.
When that poor man started crying because he can't make his bowls anymore had me crying my eyes out. ❤💙
But why can he not sell some of them?!.
@@caspice theyre not finished and he doesn't have the money to even go to a marketplace, havent you watched the video??
@@mina0653 He has a big pile, so why has he not finished a single of them?!. And he does need to go to a marketplace to sell the bowls...just go around and sell them.
This is ripping my Heart out. It’s so wrong on so many levels. I wish I lived close so I could help these people.
The crisis here is awful, Im not a pensioner, but disabled out of work, I go into about a grand of debt every winter on overdrafts just to have hot water to bathe with. I dont use the heating at all. This is my 3rd year like this, and im dreading it. I already suffer with mental health, going cold and hungry, is so difficult to face.
This reminds us to call and visit our elderly relatives and friends as often as possible, have a yarn over a cup of tea, offer a hot meal at home or the pub, and help out financially if possible.
It’s also great that there’s some community groups are offering support with limited resources, but it shouldn’t have gotten to this safe in the first place.
l am 72 l dont have family or friends, l am lucky enough to get by just, but god l feel so dam lonely, no one dont care about me where l live, l have got nasty neighboroughs who live next door to me, when l try to make friends with a new person thats moved in, one of the nasty neighboroughs goes round to them, and tells them a load of lies about me behind my back, when l went over to see my new friend, so l thought, she gave me a filthy look, and told me, l like my own company, in other words get lost. l cried and cried. l done nothing wrong. the nasty neighborough has been told by our houseing officer to leave me alone, but she wont, she just enjoys bullying me
trouble is l dont look old, no grey hair yet, which is a nightmare for me, l am disabled and have a speech lmpedament, and severely death, but round hear, no one cares about me
It’s disgusting people work all there life to end up like this . The government needs to really really wake up big time
No government gives a sh**
Crucial to help them....by cutting benefits for fit, able bodied idlers milking the benefits system. Could work, won't work.
@@malthusXIII-fo3ep ...and not one penny for the small boat sailors.
Yes all their life.
Heartbreaking watching this. They deserve so much more x
I love that they still have their humour, the government cant take that away. Really felt for the man that cannot afford to make his bowls anymore, maybe he should sell them on ebay to make money to continue to make them. It hurt me to see him upset, or maybe a small crowd fund. Stay well all of you.
Its far worse for older single men you are treated as a no class citizen especially when it comes to housing.
And isn’t that sad that anyone is treated ally. We are a G7 nation with a huge amount of money in the country yet the 1% own everything and still many mps get to claim for feeding horses and cleaning swimming pools!
They do seem to have nice houses.
@@ruthbashford3176 not really. The largest homeless group are older men and older women are catching up. They can't afford to heat their homes and eat at the same time.
That is true its harder for single people
The wood turning Gentleman asking us to excuse him whilst he wept ………….. i cannot describe describe here the rage i feel
He might love wood turning, but since he has not sold any of them, he might should make spoons instead.
@@caspice very funny comment, NOT!
@@peterkelly8357 Very late comment...spooney.
I got to thinking, how were bowls made before electricity?
And i wished in documentaries such as this on old-age poverty, the production companies should give viewers some address or bank account to give a bit of money or vouchers to these old people...
A real problem is when something needs repairing as your pension no where near covers the additional bill.
This is heartbreaking. Due to isolation, the folks who have the means and the heart to share don't know who or how to help. I'm glad for Cedarwood Community Centre and the Pallion Action Group. They are truly frontline workers who really make a difference. Wherever you are in the world while watching and reading this, be mindful and kind to whoever you cross paths with today (especially the older folk).