AGE FRIENDLY Ireland is calling on the older people of Limerick to help shape their communities by joining their local Older People’s Council.
Older People’s Councils are representative groups of older people who work with key state and voluntary agencies to make Ireland a better place in which to grow old.
Older People’s Councils are established by Local Authorities so that older people can raise concerns or issues of importance at a local level.
They are a vehicle to bring the voice of older people into local government and help to inform private and public service provision.
There are two key initiatives that have led to the development of Older People’s Councils in Ireland. One of these is the Age Friendly Ireland Programme, which is now in place across all 31 administrative areas of local government.
This initiative has been set up around the world, following the Age Friendly Cities guidelines developed by the World Health Organisation.
The principal aim of the Age Friendly Programme is to give older people a strong voice in decision-making on housing, health, spatial planning and all aspects of everyday living so that policies will be inclusive of the needs and choices of older people in urban and rural areas.
The approach also gives older people a joint platform as senior managers of voluntary and state agencies in the development, implementation and monitoring of Age Friendly strategies in each local authority.
Age Friendly Ireland encourages older people to contact their local County or City Council for further information on their local Older People’s Council or visit AgeFriendlyIreland.ie.
