Scenario 3 - Mary

Your name is Mary and you are 65 years old.

You live with your husband in a small town. You have worked since you left school, apart from a few years while your children were young. However, you retired early due to poor health, after having a stroke four years ago.

You can cope just about ok, but sometimes day-to-day tasks can be hard work and your husband has to do a bit more around the house than he used to.

You are both retired and manage on your pension without any other savings.

The cost of living seems to have gone ‘through the roof’ these days, and sometimes it’s a case of choosing between heating and eating.

You were given vouchers for the local foodbank by the council due to your financial hardship. The first time you went to the foodbank you walked straight past the entrance. You couldn’t bring yourself to go through the door; you never expected to be in this position after working for most of your life. Eventually you went in and it wasn’t as bad as you had expected, everyone was nice, and someone helped you carry a couple of bags of food home. Even though people were supportive, you still feel very depressed about having to use the foodbank; you feel like you’ve been robbed of your dignity and worry about what the future holds.

What would you do next if you were Mary?

What do we need to do to support Mary improve her situation?