every day throws up grim choices on how to spend precious cash.

This year the Government has set up mandatory private pension schemes in which both employees and employers chip in to tackle poverty in old age.

But for many of today's seniors struggling to get by on the Government pension, it's too late.

As Age Concern Chairwoman Joy Leman puts it: "Some people are trying to live on just the Government pension -- it's just over $7,000 a year.

"It's next to impossible. The pension wasn't designed to live off but there are seniors now, having not been able to save, are trying to live off just their pension.

Age Concern Executive Director Claudette Fleming said pensioner poverty was often hidden.

She said: "On the outside the houses might look good but when you go in it's where you see the problems.

"With the increasing cost of trying to maintain a home seniors often find when the toilet doesn't flush they don't have the money to hire a plumber to fix it.

"And then something else goes wrong and they don't have the money to fix that.

"If we went and looked we would find a lot of people in that position.'' Mrs.

Leman said she'd seen elderly folk living in shocking conditions.

She said: "One man was living in conditions so bad that when you went in to his basement room, you literally had to hold your breath. "It was very poor, there was damp coming through and a smell of urine and just a dirty bed and a table.

"There is one side of Bermuda that is sunny and bright and there are people living in these conditions.

"As the aging population grows and the financial picture gets worse you are going to find more and more of these situations.

"There are people falling through the cracks. No one should be living in conditions like that.

Mrs. Leman continued: "Bermuda has a rich history of caring for its seniors but I think that is changing.

"Where you would have someone at home looking after the seniors they are now having to work to keep up with everything.

"It could become a crisis situation if we don't really address the issues now -- but we are moving in the right direction by talking about it.

"People need to be saving now for retirement.

"When you are 30 you don't think 65 comes up very quickly but you need to start saving and putting something aside and getting advice on retirement and investments if you have the ability to invest.

"If you start thinking about that in your twenties and thirties you are going to have far more power.

"Age Concern is here, people can call if they have a problem. We can put them in the right direction.

"If affects each one of us on this island, everyone, if they are lucky enough to live, is going to be a senior citizen.

"Even if you don't these issues affect you if you have a mother or a grandmother or some family member these issues will come up.'' While hard-up seniors can turn to social assistance Mrs. Leman says many are reluctant to ask.

She said: "Seniors in Bermuda are very proud, they've had a history of being proud and not wanting to ask for help and trying to manage on your own.'' Ms. Fleming adds: "People are caught in the sandwich generation where they themselves are raising children and their parents are aging so they don't have the finances to care for them.'' But she said it was unfair to expect the Government to pick up the whole tab for hard-up seniors.

Opposition Health spokesman Kim Young said it's time pensions were increased to allow dignity in old age.

She said: "The Government pension was brought in as a supplement to people's savings but because of changing values and the high cost of living those people don't appear to be able to save as much and a lot of people are trying to live on the pension.

"It's not a livable pension - we need to give the seniors a livable pension so they can live without hand-outs.'' She said seniors on a fixed income fell prey to hikes in land tax, rent, insurance, utility prices, food and rent.

Rest home costs are also a big burden on the elderly with Age Concern Executive Director Claudette Fleming estimating an average yearly bill of $36,000.

She said even if a senior got the maximum in social assistance they'd still need to find a lot of cash.

She explained: "$14,400 is the maximum you can get, if you have a house you may not be eligible. You'd still have $22,000 to find.'' No captions