G
Guns Guns Guns
Guest

If cuts continue, more elderly will take to the streets...
Leo is a 64-year-old whose twinkly eyes are framed by a mane of long grey hair and a bushy beard.
Last year, unable to make ends meet, he joined the ever-growing numbers of homeless on the streets of Athens.
Leo counts himself lucky because he has a bed in one of the few shelters in the capital.
After paying all his National Insurance contributions throughout his working life, he was expecting a comfortable retirement.
But the austerity measures of the last few years mean his pension has been slashed by 60% and the government is considering still more cuts.
"I've lived through the military dictatorship when we didn't have freedom but people were not hungry then; this is the worst suffering we have seen in our lifetimes," he says.
To make matters even worse, it is the oldest generation who are most seriously affected by cuts in the healthcare system.
"One 65-year-old we saw recently had diabetes and a heart condition but he could not afford any of the life-saving medicine he needs."
Research conducted by the Athens University of Economics and Business shows that in 2010 and 2011 cuts in pension benefits were one of the primary contributors to a 50% rise in poverty rates.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-19298681