Pat Isaacs doesn't eat meat - not because she is vegetarian - but because she cannot afford to buy it, 9 News reports.
She doesn't drink alcohol, smoke or gamble. She can't afford to buy new clothes. She doesn't have any investments and no superannuation.
She has a small bank balance for emergencies, which she is forced to dip into to survive.
Pat is 78 and the Age Pension is her only income. Groceries costs are increasing, as are her medical costs.
Every month life is getting more expensive, but the pension does not increase.
"I was doing OK really until everything increased in price so much," Pat tells 9News.com.au
"Now I'm not sure I will survive with the age pension as my only income. My $250 cost of living bonus went the next day when my car battery died.
"I'm not sure how well I will survive at 78 and plan to be around a while longer to enjoy my family.Around 1.5 million older Australians rely on the age pension as their main source of income. When paid at the maximum rate, the age pension is just over $25,000 a year for singles.
OECD data shows that a third of Australians over the age of 65 were at risk of being in pension poverty. Of those, single women who are renting are most vulnerable.
New data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) released two weeks ago shows that pensioners are suffering from the highest annual increase in living costs in 16 years.
FULL STORY
'I'm not sure I will survive': Pensioners pushed into poverty as cost of living soars (9 News)
PHOTO
Pat Isaacs is one of around 1.5 million Australians who rely on the Age Pension as their sole source of income. (Supplied)
