Several thousand dollars have been deposited into a newly formed account aimed at assisting senior citizens, especially those on fixed incomes, who are finding it increasingly difficult to make ends meet and keep their lights on.This follows Royal Gazette report last May that highlighted the increasing number of private residences faced with the threat of no electrical power by householders out of work and without means to pay.The Royal Gazette understands that not only has there been an inundation of financial support from the community to make sure that there were happy homes during the Christmas season, there’s word of another form of generosity through the newly formed Age Concern the Belco Hardship Fund for seniors.Age Concern Executive Director Claudette Fleming confirmed yesterday that “several thousands of dollars have been allocated to this newly formed fund by anonymous donors, in the form of electricity bill vouchers paid to Belco or Age Concern”, to keep the lights on in an increasing number of homes where householders, particularly those out of work for extended periods, are in desperate need of assistance.Ms Fleming, who said last May that Age Concern documented 3,500 calls from seniors in 2010/11 citing soaring costs for fuel and the rising cost of food in Bermuda, said her deepest fear was whether the number of people needing such support was growing.“We have not been administering this service long enough to determine whether what we are currently experiencing by way of referrals is ‘unusual’ however, if so, what will Age Concern’s capacity be to meet the demand for help in the future?” she asked.“It appears for the most part that seniors are making every effort to stay current with their electric light bill payments,” she added. “Typically these are responsible individuals who simply need a temporary hand up, because of an unexpected medical situation, the loss of a job within the family, or some other legitimate reason.“Many times people are hesitant to walk through our doors to get help,” she said. “But we have to assure them that it’s ‘okay’ because our organisation exits to help. When we are not able to help, we do our best to find other supporting resources.”The Age Concern-Belco Hardship Fund was set up in the third quarter of 2011, after members of the public and corporate donors responded to an interview in The Royal Gazette, when Ms Fleming emphasised the rise in numbers to Age Concern’s call centre, and specified the paying of electricity bills among the calls for help.At that time, in follow up to that report, she said the public responded with donations and “we immediately commenced a dialogue with Belco to set up a monetary hardship fund”.Shortly after that a formal written agreement and partnership was established with clear guidelines set up on how the fund would be administered.“As it stands now,” Ms Fleming stated, “donations can be made by the public to either Age Concern or Belco with specific instructions that monies be used for the hardship fund.“Cases of hardship are mostly identified by Belco, who refer those who qualify over the age of 65 with delinquent payments to us. We have a documented assessment procedure and if the applicants qualify, we notify Belco and make a payment.“Age Concern’s intervention is a short-term, one-time payment. We have averaged about one case a month, with more cases being assessed over the holidays due to our one-time advertisement about the programme.“In all cases, overdue balances have been paid in full. The person’s information remains confidential and although I approve the payments, most times I am unaware of the actual names of the applicants, however I am aware of the individual circumstances.”She added: “It appears for the most part, seniors are making every effort to stay current with their electric light payments.“On average we have paid out approximately $618 per case, with some cases being higher or lower. What we have generally found is that the senior has had difficulty with one payment and that has made subsequent payments delinquent.“What I am always amazed about is the quality of senior that we have helped.“Typically, these are responsible individuals who simply need a temporary hands up, because of an unintended medical situation, the loss of a job within a family, or some other legitimate reason."As a part of our successful Ageing Campaign, Age Concern is attempting to get to the bottom of the threat of financial hardship that is currently being faced by seniors by providing tools and information sessions for individuals to prepare for old age.”But Ms Fleming was quick to note: “The question of how we can prepare people to be better financially equipped in old age is always on our minds. One of the answers that Age Concern has pursued at the national level for some time is the development of a National Strategy for the Aged.“With all the personal planning in the world, there will always be circumstances that are beyond our control. The current global economic crisis is beyond our control but its effects on our economy are trickling right down to our seniors.“We need to build a network around them that can see them through unpredictable times. It would never be my wish to see anyone have to rely on charity as a part of their retirement plan.“However, I am extremely gratified that through our partnership with Belco and the generous support of the community that we can at least fill the gap for now until something more substantive is put in place to protect our seniors from economic vulnerability in any climate.”Her deepest fear is that “ten, 20, 30 years from now our measure of success will be to have moved the current statistic of one to two hardship cases a month to zero cases”.“Every individual person, family, community leader, employer and politician reading this article can help us get there by being proactive in their respective roles to help Bermudians plan successfully for their future as older adults.“If we consciously choose to ignore this message by giving into the temptation of only focusing on the immediate crisis situations, we are paving the path to a greater social need in the future.”When contacted by The Royal Gazette, Belco spokeswoman Susan McGrath-Smith said: “The percentage of Belco customers with outstanding bill payments has remained relatively consistent throughout 2011, although the list changes all the time, as customers pay off their bills.“The majority of customers do successfully make payments and, as stated throughout the year, we work with them to put payment plans in place.”On a positive note she added, “Although we have not quantified this, we have noticed an uptick in the number of electricity gift certificates purchased and gift payments (including anonymous payments) made in 2011, suggesting that the Bermuda community is reaching out to help family, friends and neighbours perhaps analogous to the ‘Secret Santas’ who have paid off layaway bills for toys being purchased by parents in the US, Bermuda and elsewhere.”Belco is also working with Age Concern to identify senior citizens who qualify for assistance with their bills, based on proven financial need; any questions about the programme should be directed to Age Concern also seniors in need should contact Age Concern directly.Ms McGrath-Smith added: “One of our staff did quantify the assistance that people have provided via anonymous payments and gift vouchers, which was a lot more than in 2010, since we started the electricity vouchers this year. We’ve had a lot of donations this season.”Close to $20,000 was cited as the total from several anonymous donors, with another $5,340 in Electricity Vouchers purchased.Earlier in the year there were donations in the amounts $4,350, $1,000 and another $2,325 in anonymous donations, with another $5,900 in vouchers purchased.In addition to the numbers provided last week, in 2011, Ms. McGrath said: “Donors wishing to remain anonymous contributed approximately $3,400 to the Age Concern programme through our offices.”As for the total numbers of those having difficulty in keeping up with their utility bill payments, she said: “The number is not a constant number it changes all the time, as people pay their bills or make pay arrangments; the number is different from one day to the next.”That said, she added that “our customer service and accounts people are extremely busy this week with customer queries and year end so not able to supply most recent numbers.”Belco put up signs near the cashiers’ windows after Thanksgiving, letting customers know that vouchers were an option.Ms McGrath-Smith added: “We did not advertise the vouchers via the media, as we didn’t want anyone to feel that we were ‘pushing’ people to spend their Christmas dollars on electricity. Vouchers are available all year round.“There are also people who come in and pay on bills for family and friends. There would be no real way of knowing how many of those occurred, as people do it, but don’t say anything about it being a gift. There was also $3,450 from donors to the Age Concern Hardship Fund.”Meantime Age Concern plans to put out the word on this new form of assistance in the months ahead. Anyone wishing to be a part of this community-oriented form of sponsorship is urged to contact either Belco or Age Concern for more information.