A vital line of communication for elderly has been cut

IT’S good to talk — or so we are told by the marketing executives.

But as of this year, the cost of having a conversation may be too high for many elderly people who have always relied on their phone line as a means of keeping in touch with the outside world.

The telephone allowance cut announced in Budget 2014 is likely to affect almost 400,000 people and has created huge anxiety amongst family carers, people with disabilities and the elderly who were receiving a grant which allowed them peace of mind when it came to the cost of their phone bill.

Christina Collins is a 71-year-old widow from Limerick who, despite relying on her phone as a cost-effective means of keeping in touch with people, is planning to disconnect her landline as she can no longer afford to pay the line rental. “First our free electricity units went, then the fuel allowance and the Christmas bonus, and now it’s the telephone allowance — our welfare is just being cut back all the time,” she says.

“I live on my own as my children are reared and have families of their own, so the phone has always been a lifeline to me. But I am going to have to get rid of it because I simply can’t afford it. Luckily, I have a mobile but I can’t use it to chat for very long as it is too expensive.

“I know people who live in the back-of-beyond and this is going to be very difficult for them. They may get in an alarm system for emergencies but what about the loneliness?

“A mobile phone can cost a lot and by removing the landline, it takes away their opportunity for having a conversation with someone else to help brighten up their day.”

The mother-of-six has always made a point of using her vote during an election. But now she says she no longer has any faith in our politicians.

“We have taken so many cuts in the last few years and now we are having our phone line allowance cut — so it is the final straw for me,” she says.

“When the current crowd were campaigning, they promised us that they wouldn’t touch the old age pension and now they are taking all sorts of things from us.

“The last bunch caused the problem and none of them are affected by these cuts — I think it’s a shocking way to treat people of our age — it isn’t right that we should suffer for the mess they created while nothing happens to them at all.

“I’d like to see any of our politicians hand their wives €240 a week and expect them to pay all the rental, fuel and medical bills, as well as buying food and keeping mobile. They won’t do it, of course, but once again it’s the richer people who get away and the poorer section of society who take the brunt of the hardship. It’s a total disgrace.”

Mary Walsh, 78, from Dungarvan, Co Waterford, is also a widow who lives alone and is dreading the day when she has to remove her phone because she simply can’t afford to pay for it.

“My three children are grown up and although my two sons live close by and call in as much as they can, they have their own families to look after,” she says.

“I have Parkinson’s Disease so am quite feeble so, although I will have to get rid of the phone, I am going to need to install an emergency button which will alert my doctor and family if I have a fall.”

“Things have been getting more and more difficult over the years as everything becomes more expensive.

“I have learned to just do without things and I do feel sorry for younger people who have families to rear, but I wish the Government would be kinder to old people as we have put a lot into the country over the years and now it is quite difficult to make ends meet.”