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FRIDAY, July 18, 2003 (HealthDayNews) -- Older people who live in deprived areas of the United Kingdom face an increased risk of social exclusion, says a study sponsored by the Economic & Social Research Council.
The study found that seven of 10 older people living it the most deprived areas are vulnerable to or experience some kind of social exclusion. Some of those people experience "multiple exclusions," which means they may go without basic life necessities such as heating, new clothing, food and holidays, and are less involved in community life.
While it can happen to many different people, social exclusion seems to be more of a problem for certain ethnic minority groups -- particularly older Somali and Pakistani people. The study found that about three-quarters of older Somali people and two-thirds of older Pakistani people lived in poverty.
Most of the older people in these deprived areas did have access to basic amenities. However, a large minority cut back on services to make ends meet. Fourteen percent of them had reduced their use of three basic services in the previous five years.
Overall, 72 percent had used a post office, pharmacist and bus service at least once in the previous year, while 18 percent had used two of those services. The remaining 10 percent had used less than two of the services.
The study's researchers analyzed data collected from a national survey.
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