Old age is a stage in the life cycle in which people particularly need the support of their family and institutions. Social assistance institutions, especially social workers working directly in the residential environment, are therefore faced with a special task of dealing with situations that may endanger the safety of the elderly. One such threat is the current debt of Polish seniors – almost half of elderly people have loan commitments. The aim of this study is to analyse the phenomenon of indebtedness of older people, with emphasis on the possibilities of support. In order to achieve this goal reliably, the available literature and the latest reports of the Economic Information Bureau have been analysed. In the first part of the article the basic concepts were explained, and then the profile of the “pensioner-debtor” was characterized, considering main causes and consequences of debt of elderly people. In the next part, an attempt was made to identify the possibilities of support that can be obtained by senior debtors on behalf of assistance institutions, mainly social workers.