Over the past two years, 77-year-old Jaqueline Camilleri has taken to living upstairs in her old Rabat house so that she can save money by turning on the lights less often. 

Like many pensioners, she is cutting back on everyday essentials such as electricity and gas because of the rising cost of living, which a study released last week shows is hitting older people hardest.

“Life has become more expensive,” she said. “Groceries, even water, have gone up in price. I live alone in an old house, on a single pension. So, I try to save money more now like on my electricity bill.”

'Life has become so expensive': senior citizens have to go to additional lengths when budgeting for food. Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

According to Caritas Malta, elderly couples must spend an extra €1,400 a year to cover basic food and healthcare costs because of increases in prices and needs brought about since the pandemic started.

The study showed that whereas an elderly couple spent almost €3,400 annually on their food basket in 2020, this increased by 25 per cent, to slightly under €4,200 this year. 

They experienced a further annual cost increase for medicines and healthcare items (like doctors’ appointments, bandages and so on) which shot up by almost 40 per cent from just over €410 in 2020 to €560 this year. 

This cost increased even further when one added items connected to fighting coronavirus – such as disposable face masks, sanitiser and extra paracetamol – that shot up the annual healthcare cost for the elderly to €980.

This leaves older people struggling to get by on their pensions. 

“I must be honest, I’m not one to remember prices. But what is sure is that before there would be a little left over from my pension at the end of the month. Now I scrape through,” said Tereża Cutajar, 75.

She said prices of her daily food needs as well as her medicines, which include medicine for blood circulation and bone density, have also increased.

“Now I am more careful what I buy. If I don’t need something, I don’t buy it. And you have to shop around as different shops charge different prices for the same thing,” she said. For example, a box of six eggs ranged from €1 to a competitor’s €1.60.

Even something as simple as a ftira in the Rabat square required shopping around, Tereża pointed out. One cafe charges €4.50 while another charges €3.50. 

“We never really go anywhere anymore”

Frans Chircop, 71 and his friend Frans Falzon, also 71, said the prices were affecting pensioners in different ways. 

“Not all elderly people get the same pension since it depends on how much stamp duty they paid,” Chircop said, adding that a person’s state of health also made a difference since some medicines were provided free by the government.

Agatha, 61, who preferred not to share her surname, said her husband had to pay €85 a month for blood-thinning medicine.

Others said their rising bills meant they had to cut out some of the weekly luxuries that make life worth living. 

One elderly woman, who preferred not to be named said she had stopped her regular appointment at the nail technician to save money but retained her weekly hairdresser appointment which was “my treat”.

Another, Josephine Dimech, 82, said that to save money she no longer goes out to restaurants or cafes. 

“We are two people at home but have to get through on one pension. So, if there is something I want, I don’t buy it unless I need it and we never really go anywhere anymore.”