The 68-year-old Hamilton grandmother who told she struggled to make ends meet on her pension will have all her bills paid by Financial Assistance by October.

The woman, who did not want to be identified, is one of 7,000 seniors in Bermuda ? half of whom receive just $767.43 a month as a basic contributory pension.

Of this $767.43, she paid $500 towards rent, which left very little for her utility bills, food and medication.

As a diabetic she admitted sometimes having to chose between medication and food. In an effort to make ends meet, she asked her grandson to live with her and pay the utility bills.

Meanwhile her daughter is helping her pay off about $47,000 worth of medical bills following some ?diabetic complications? a few years ago.

Speaking to yesterday her daughter said an investigating officer from financial assistance had contacted her about her mothers? plight the day the story appeared in the newspaper. ?They said her original paperwork had not been processed for some reason, but now that everything has been sorted out, they said they would pay for everything,? she said.

She said Financial Assistance simply wanted copies of all her mother?s bills and even though they have to return for a meeting next week, she was confident that her mother?s life would be so much better now.

She added that as far as she could tell Financial Assistance would pay about $700 worth of bills and besides the rent and utilities, would also give her mother money for food and medication. ?I?m so relieved and she?s so happy,? she said, adding that her mother wanted her independence which is why she would not move in with her.

?But this now takes so much worry off my mind,? she added.

She said it was so sad that many old people were not aware of what they were entitled too and felt that the system might be at fault.

?They go in, like my mother did, fill out all the forms and then they simply fall through the cracks and nothing changes until someone says something,? she said.