Today’s Blog post is written by Rob Trotter, research officer at Scope and former intern at Runnymede

Work by the Runnymede Trust has found that by 2051 there will be around 3.8 million black and minority ethnic (BME) people over the age of 65, a huge increase on current estimates. One key effect of this ageing population will be the impact on how many disabled people there are from black and minority ethnic backgrounds. Older societies often have more disabled people, so as the BME population ages, we can also expect the numbers of BME disabled people to increase.

Research published today by Scope and the Equalities National Council (ENC) presents new evidence about this community, drawn from statistical analysis and focus groups with nearly 60 care users.

The report – Over-looked Communities, Over-due Change - confirms what others have found: that BME disabled people face a range of difficulties in their everyday lives.

People told us about money worries, and trying to make do on low incomes without being able to find a job. Our statistics showed that at least half of all BME disabled people live in household poverty – and the true picture is likely to be even higher.

Others told us about the challenges they faced trying to get care and support through services. Many people spoke about being lonely and isolated, and so struggled to find out what help they were entitled to. Others reported local services translating only very basic materials for care users.

Today's blog post is written by Phil Mawhinney, Runnymede research and policy analyst

Nearly 4.5 million people over 60 years old, or one in three, can only afford the basics in life, according to a new report by Age UK. The research shows how pensioners maximise every single penny, and the sacrifices they make to get by. This includes living in just one room and going to bed early in order to keep warm and save on energy bills.

Over the last few years, Runnymede has been researching the experiences of older Black and minority ethnic (BME) people. We know that they are more likely to live in pensioner poverty. While one in six white pensioners live in poverty, this rises to nearly half of Bangladeshi and Pakistani pensioners and one in every four Black Caribbeans.

I attended the launch of the Age UK report, which received some press attention, and I have two observations to share.