Age Concern has been inundated with calls for help from seniors struggling to pay for basic essentials during the economic crisis.The agency estimates it received 7,000 calls from elderly people needing assistance in 2010/11, more than treble the figure from the previous year, with many saying they can’t afford food and electricity.Executive director Claudette Fleming said they recently had requests from two elderly people who were living in the dark because they couldn’t afford to pay lighting bills.Ms Fleming told The Royal Gazette: “There are many seniors who are struggling as we are all trying to adapt to this current economic climate.“My heart is broken a lot of times for these requests for food. Electricity can be one of the first things vulnerable people can be tempted to strike off their list because it may not be deemed as an essential.”Ms Fleming said Age Concern documented 3,500 calls from seniors in 2010/11, with another estimated 3,500 calls undocumented due to “database challenges”. In 2009/10, the total figure was around 2,100.Soaring costs of fuel and food, combined with rising unemployment, have prompted calls for price freezes on essential goods in recent weeks, with gas prices recently reaching a new high of $2.15 per litre.Union leaders have urged Government to do all it can to make groceries more affordable.Ms Fleming warned issues are not going to get any easier for the older generation, saying: “The Bermudian population is ageing and there may be more people who are not prepared for it based on the increased demographic numbers alone.”She said many of the support systems relied upon by elderly people in the past have also begun to dissolve: families are less able to help out and more grandparents are being relied upon financially to assist with living costs.Some of these people do not qualify for Government’s financial assistance programme because they own homes and other assets. Ms Fleming said she knew of one lady who was struggling financially, exasperated by the fact her husband was suffering from health problems.The woman was asked to give up her car to apply for financial assistance, but that would have added to her problems, making her more reliant on family or church members.Ms Fleming said the issue is compounded as older members of staff past are often the first to go when companies downsize by attrition. Some are still mentally active and capable of working and don’t know what to do with themselves throughout the day.She added: “On the other hand we have older people who are working who really do not have the money to stop.”Age Concern has heard from redundant seniors who have now been advised to consider jobs like driving other seniors to the grocery store, or house keeping, which doesn’t require any additional qualifications.Ms Fleming said: “As a Country we have to get serious about tackling the ageing issue as a macro-socioeconomic issue.“This would mean that we must build infrastructure and capacity to meet the needs of this growing population. It may be time to consider an entire Ministry devoted to seniors, inclusive of the budget, human and financial resources and policy required to be strategically effective at meeting the needs of seniors.”According to Janet Ferguson, the executive director of the seniors learning centre at Bermuda College, enrolment has recently surged from people aged 55 and over.In addition to traditional leisure courses, more seniors are taking up programmes in computer skills, world and current affairs and Bermudian social history.She said there has also been more interest in life course programmes. This can sometimes be prompted by a redundancy or an unexpected job loss, she explained.“Seniors are affected by any economic downturn as they more than any other sector of community must survive on income or sources of revenue that more or less remain fixed.“We are very concerned about the ability of our members to continue to afford to pay for some of our core offerings like keep fit and yoga. Consistent physical exercise is a core component of a healthy lifestyle for active ageing.“We are worried and concerned that some of our members under the current economic conditions may have to make difficult choices.”