Winter claims 1,500 elderly lives

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More than 1,500 elderly people in Northern Ireland have died over the winters from 2000, the charity Help the Aged has said.

Last year, 293 people aged over 65 died between December and March, it said.

Duane Farrell from Help the Aged said older people needed to be targeted better in fuel poverty initiatives.

"It is a scandal, in a country as developed as Northern Ireland, that any older person should die cold and alone in the winter months," he said.

Help the Aged has compiled a table of mortality figures, which puts the winter death figures for 2004/5 for people over the age of 65 into context against a number of other causes of death in Northern Ireland.

The charity said avoidable winter deaths come seventh in this table - roughly equalling the figures recorded in 2004 for deaths from breast cancer and leukaemia, and is double that recorded for suicide and transport accidents.

"All deaths, caused by whatever reason, are sad and often tragic but deaths in winter are not only large in number but also often avoidable," Mr Farrell said.

"Action needs to be taken now and continually throughout the year if this terrible toll is to be reduced."

Over the coming months, the Help the Aged Winter Deaths Campaign aims to raise awareness about avoidable winter deaths and ensure older people have information about how to prepare for winter and beat the cold.