They found a home – a shack more befitting the time of Dickens than the 21st century – with on the window sill. There was a bucket for a toilet, and only no gas, no electricity, and •1 a fireplace for cooking and heating water. There were broken windows upstairs in what was •2. property. In a recent survey, conducted for Age UK of more than 1,300 people aged 60 or over, the results were startling. Nearly a third were likely to resort to •3 wearing a coat and scarf inside. Fourteen percent lived in one room. With nearly 14 million over-60s in the UK, that is around 1.5m choosing to live in one room to contain heat. Four to keep warm, including percent said they would stay in bed all day to try to keep warm, while 9% said they could not get warm at home last winter. Age UK is concerned that many more older people are stuck - well over three million of them spending more than a tenth of their income on their •4. energy bills. Patrick has now received advice on what he is entitled to. Despite the previous dilapidated state of the house, with little furniture, he •5 But now he sits to play in the comfort of a centrally-heated house, with electricity and double- glazed windows. Luckily for Mr Doyle, the police •6 service Sixty Plus, they have turned his life around. his two prize pianos and still plays them today. Age UK and, together with support Acting as the home improvement agency, Age UK was able to •7 Central heating was installed, gas and electricity reconnected, and a kitchen and bathroom provided. It was funded by releasing equity from the house that Patrick had lived in since his mother died. a total refurbishment. But that is not always possible. "Some homes are in such a state they’re valued at just one pound. Private home owners used to be able to •8 and older people are less keen to borrow money," said Mr Matthew. but since April they have to get a loan "We're seeing more cases like Patrick. I know one elderly lady who had no bed, no •9_ kitchen and went to sleep in a chair in front of a paraffin heater, which burned her legs. or She's not been allowed home from respite care until her accommodation can be improved. These cases are •10 isolated ones," said Mr Matthew.