Branded products and services that appropriately talk to and engage this market is likely to be profitable. After all, a good number in this segment also have the buying power.

“We like the Goodbye, 9 to 5 format very much,” said producer Chris Gosling, “and it seems that many viewers like the show, too – we’ve had an encouraging amount of feedback from TV viewers.”

The show’s first batch of programmes, 16 in all, have given SLTV some experience in producing a weekly programme, as well as the fortnightly shows which have made their name in the leisure industry – The Caravan Channel and UK Boating.

The Caravan Channel is probably the UK’s longest-running continuously produced satellite programme, with over 80 half-hour shows broadcast over the past 3 years on Information TV, Sky channel 166 and Freesat 402.

The Chancellor said: “For the first time in half a century the retail prices index has been negative for much of this year. Many benefits and tax credits are linked to the September RPI. RPI inflation last September was minus 1.4 per cent. This would have meant no increase in these benefits in April. I do not believe such a freeze would be fair.

“So I can confirm the basic state pension will not be frozen but will rise by 2.5 per cent, 4 per cent in real terms.”

In April the full state pension will rise from £95.25 to £97.65 per week for a single pensioner, while couples will receive £156.16 instead of £152.30.

However campaigners pointed out that the improvement was always guaranteed, and said it would bring most elderly people no real benefit, as their living costs are still rising fast while their other benefits such as the winter fuel allowance have been frozen.

After Labour was condemning for increasing the weekly pension by just 75p at the start of the decade, there has been a commitment that it will also go up by at least 2.5 per cent if inflation is lower.

Charities believe the cost of living for pensioners is increasing higher than for other groups in society, because they spend a greater proportion of their money on food, and on heating and lighting their homes. Many have also seen their retirement income drop over the past year because of low interest rates and reduced dividends for shareholders.

Dot Gibson, general secretary of the National Pensioners’ Convention, said: “The Pre-Budget Report gives with one hand but then takes away with the other and does little to tackle rising pensioner poverty, fuel poverty or the impact that the recession is continuing to have on older savers.

“One in four pensioners still lives in poverty and rising costs of food and fuel, combined with record lows in savings returns and underperforming pensions, mean that pensioners continue to suffer a disproportionate increase in the cost of living.

“In light of all this, the Chancellor’s promise to raise the state pension next year by £2.40 a week but then take more than half of it back again will bring little cheer to Britain’s pensioners.”

Andrew Harrop, Head of Public Policy at Age Concern and Help the Aged, added: “Many older people will be relieved that the Basic State Pension and Pension Credit will both increase above planned indexation. Yet the Government has missed a golden opportunity to promise to restore the link between Basic State Pension and earnings by 2012.

“Sliding beyond this date will plunge an additional 70,000 pensioners into poverty, saving relatively little for the Government – an estimated £250 million a year after 2012.”

WE SAY: Pension payments need to be sufficient to take all pensioners out of the many poverty traps which await them, and assessments of RPI which reflect upon pensions and pension increases should be adjusted to reflect pensioners specific needs – for example, fasting rising heating costs should result in these being given extra weighting in RPI calaculations.

Osman has worked in broadcasting for 28 years, presenting bulletins on BBC World and reporting for ITN News. She fronted the Bristol-based Points West on BBC One for 14 years, but now has been hired to take over a leading programme in China.

She says that her age has become an insurmountable barrier in Britain, and has accepted a job hosting a prime-time breakfast show on China Radio International and is moving to Beijing.

Ms Osman said: “There seems to be a culture of ageism in broadcasting in this country, and it particularly affects women.” She attended a series of auditions for BBC jobs and been told she was “marvellous”. But she was consistently overlooked, without explanation.

She says that British women face ageism in broadcasting when they reached their 40s, but that their longevity is an asset in Asia. “In China they revere experience,” she said. “The older you are the better. I got the impression that my future boss actually wanted me to be older when I finally told him my age during the interview.”

She added: “I’ve had so many female colleagues who have dropped out in their early forties, which is a shame because an older woman can bring wisdom and empathy. There don’t seem to be many places for older women in broadcasting in this country.”

A BBC spokesman said: “Broadcasting, especially presenting, is an extremely competitive industry and the nature of it is such that many broadcasters are freelance artists on contracts of specific durations,” he said. “Ageism has nothing to do with it.”

The BBC was involved in an ageism row when Arlene Phillips, 66, was replaced as a judge on Strictly Come Dancing by Alesha Dixon, 31, a decision criticised by a government minister.

The Daily Telegraph highlighted Warwickshire County Council’s offer of a service allowing “older people” to bring in their old slippers and replace them with a new pair, which it claims can cut the risk of falling over. For a fee of £5, participants fitted with a new pair of the Velcro fastening slippers, and advice on how to puy them on and avoid accidents around the home.

The council claims that the initiative, which has been adopted by other local authorites, will save money in the long run because it prevents costly injuries to elderly people. The firm which makes the special slippers charges local authorities £3 a pair – £2 less than the council charges people taking up its scheme.

Neil Duncan Jordan, of the National Pensioners’ Convention said: “Falls among the elderly are very serious, but for the vast majority of people in their 50s and 60s, this is patronising and a waste of money. It is astonishing that while the council claim they have your best interests at heart by providing these slippers, they then fleece you for more than the manufacturer is charging.”

Meanwhile , Flntshire care home staff are to be trained to understand the importance of properly fitting footwear in preventing falls by residents. Flintshire Local Health Board (LHB) is providing the training to its staff, saying that it wants families to consult experts like podiatrists before buying elderly relatives slippers for Christmas.

Good fitting slippers fit the shape of the wearer’s feet, have a non-slip sole and should support the foot, reducing the chances of a fall. Chiropodists and good shoe retailers should also be able to provide more information on properly fitting footwear, said Flintshire LHB.

The BBC report on this story said that Celia Drew, a chronic disease management nurse with Flintshire LHB who is organising the training, said: “We know from research that there is a clear link between foot pain and falls. When people have poorly fitting footwear, they are much more likely to sustain a fall, which can lead to bruising, sprains or a broken hip.

She also said, “An indoor shoe would be much more appropriate than a slipper and they aren’t terribly expensive, retailing at around £20,” she said.

It is estimated that around 20 to 30 per cent of falls among the elderly can be prevented. Badly fitting slippers are said to significantly increase the risk of suffering a fall which can lead to disability or death. The new slippers being supplied by Warwickshire CC are safer because they have non-slip soles, better support and a Velcro fastening to ensure a snug and tailored fit, makers Natureform claim.

These are the findings of new research published today by Circle Anglia – one of the UK’s leading providers of affordable housing – as part of their 2009 survey of ‘Neighbourly Habits.’

Not only do the majority of the over-65s say they know the name of their neighbours (92 percent), they also actually enjoy spending time with them (56 per cent). This compared to only 66 per cent of the 18-24s who know the names of their immediate neighbours and the 26 percent who said they enjoy time spent with neighbours.

The poll of 2,000 people found that overwhelmingly older people are more trusting of the people who live on their street. While they are out of the house, 91 per cent of senior citizens said they trust their neighbours enough to look after deliveries, compared to just 62 percent of the 18-24s. Regionally, nine out of 10 residents (87 per cent) in the North West are happy to trust their neighbour with deliveries compared to only 77 per cent of Londoners.

Andy Doylend, Executive Director of Operations, Circle Anglia said, “Older people are far more likely to suffer from social isolation. This research not only demonstrates the value people over 65 place on talking to neighbours – but also the benefits of this such as an increased trust in the community which can make a real difference to people’s quality of life.

“That’s why we’re calling on people throughout the UK to bridge the age gap this festive season and take time to say hello to their neighbours. With the rise of social networking and online communications tools, it’s essential that neighbours lend a hand during this festive time to show that they value real relationships just as much as their online ones.”

Circle Anglia

Five years as an MP buys you five-fortieths of final salary (£64,000) in retirement. Their pension package is also inflation-proofed and includes a widows’ pension.

The Tories have promised to scrap defined benefit pensions for MPs if they win the next election but any such proposal will still have to be voted in by a majority of MPs because they get to set their own pay. They voted to improve the accrual of benefits from one-fiftieth to one-fortieth of final salary per year in office so it is difficult to imagine they will do away with their scheme altogether.

Public outrage over MPs’ expenses makes it likely we will see more than 200 new MPs take office next year, each entitled to immediate membership of the pension scheme; existing members will not be affected by any subsequent closure.

Average British citizens have no access to final salary-style pensions – 96 of the UK’s 100 largest listed companies have already closed such schemes to new employees – and have probably seen big losses in the pensions they have bothered to save for themselves, now they suffer the injustice of being asked to stump up for MPs as well.

Although many MPs will tell you that last year they approved a “cap” on Treasury contributions to the scheme, this cap only comes into effect if the scheme is fully funded – something most public sector pensions are not. And anyway, if the scheme was fully funded, what need would there be for a cap?

In conclusion, Nina Montagu-Smith asked, “when will we get more than just smoke and mirrors from those who claim to be representing our interests?”

Daily Telegraph

The news story quoted a number of cases, and in some of these the customer had paid thousands of pounds more than they needed to over a period of time. One individual was said to have paid around £3,500 more than he needed to, to Royal Sun Alliance insurance over a twenty year period. Other cases have since come to light in which regular-renewal customers have started to look around, and found big savings immediately – another customer telephoned Aviva and saved over £600 per annum on a house insurance and two car insurance policies.

If you you or someone you know has been paying increasing amount for the same insurance over a period of years, without checking alternative prices, Goodbye 9 to 5 says check around right now – setting aside half an hour every couple of years for a few phone quotes might easily save you hundreds of pounds.

Prudential said the product, which enables retired people to unlock money tied up in their home without having to move, was too capital intensive, and it could us the funds more profitably elsewhere.

The group first entered the equity release market four years ago, and it now has 14,000 customers and a lifetime mortgage book worth £1 billion.

But it has seen its share of the market halve this year, dropping from 23% at the end of 2008 to 12% during 2009 so far. Lifetime mortgages enable retired homeowners to borrow a lump sum against the value of their property, but the debt is not repaid until they die or move home. As a result, a significant amount of capital is paid out up front, but it is often many years before any of the money is repaid.

Barry O’Dwyer, managing director of retail life & pensions, said: “The focus for Prudential UK remains to compete selectively in areas of the retirement savings and income markets where we can generate attractive returns on capital employed.”

Existing lifetime mortgage customers will not be affected by Prudential’s decision to pull out of the market.

The number of providers of this financial service has dropped from 20 to 11 over the past year.

Prudential

Their Employee Outlook survey of 2,000 working people found that the proportion of people aged 55 and above planning to work beyond the state pension age has rised to 71 per cent, compared with 40 per cent in a similar survey two years ago. Financial shortfalls are the main reason for the trend with pension pots, savings and investments, and house values all being hit by the recession.

An older workforce could be difficult for employers, especially in engaging a group who are only still working for financial reasons, said a CIPD, adviser.

“With more people planning to work past 65, employers will have to accommodate older workers and motivate those who wish they could be elsewhere,” he said, adding, “Employers need to review how they are helping their employees save for retirement to get value from their pension spend.”

Workers over 55 were most likely to have faced up to the reality of working into old age, the survey found. Only 30 per cent of 18-24 year olds thought they would be working past 65, even though they were least likely to have a generous pension to fall back on.

Under half of employees (46 per cent) said they had a pension with their current employer, a figure which falls to 36 per cent in the private sector.