On average there are 25,100 excess winter deaths every year in England, the majority occurring in those over 65. A Rotherham partnership of NHS, Local Authority, voluntary sector and charitable organisations collaborated on KWILLT to identify the factors that influence older vulnerable people in keeping warm and well in winter. The findings indicated that knowledge and awareness of safe temperatures and how to use heating efficiently were low across the study participants. Older people’s experiences explain how values and beliefs can interact with contextual factors and barriers in such a way that they often end up being cold at home.

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