MY BUDGET: pensioner: When asked about next week's budget, the key issue for Beth Nunan, a 73-year-old widow who lives on her own in Blackrock, Co Cork, is pensions.

At €179 a week, she believes the current state pension is too low when compared to the cost of living in this country. "Everywhere you turn you are charged more for everything and the current amount you get from the Government is not enough," she says.

Another issue that is important to older people is the fuel allowance, a sum Ms Nunan describes as a pittance.

"We are told to make sure the house is warm, but that costs money and the fuel allowance is not enough," she says. It currently stands at €9-€12 a week depending on where you live and is paid for 29 weeks from the end of September to mid-April.

Nursing homes and care are key issues that Ms Nunan hopes Minister for Finance Brian Cowen will address in next week's budget.What most elderly people want is to stay in their own homes as long as possible and not be put in a home where they often lose all independence, she says.

"At the moment any sort of care at home is minimal," she says. "By making it easier for us to stay at home the Government would be making it easier and cheaper for itself, so it makes sense for everyone."

She would also like to see more financial assistance for elderly people who need physical and psychological treatment. Currently this is means-tested and most people receive very little, she says.

Ms Nunan says doctors need to be aware that older people are not incapable of knowing what they need. "We need to be considered in the same way as other people," she says.