Simple pleasures like eating out are beyond the reach of many older Scots, with one in five saying they have not done so for more than a year.

The Help the Aged study showed that far from enjoying a leisurely, fun-filled retirement, many pensioners are living in poverty.

The charity called on the UK Government to tackle pensioner poverty by paying benefits into pensioners' accounts automatically.

It said that £4.5 billion in benefits for older people goes unclaimed each year, and paying them automatically would ensure the money reaches those who need it.

Researchers found that almost three out of 10 older Scots have not had a holiday of more than five nights in the last five years. Almost one in 10 regularly receive financial assistance from family and friends.