A VAST majority of older people would like to see a designated commissioner for ageing set up in Ireland.
That’s according to new figures from Active Retirement Ireland, who found that 94 per cent of their membership, including in Limerick, would support the implementation of a Commissioner for Ageing and Older People.
96 per cent of respondents also said that there is a need for a comprehensive positive ageing framework to be set up in Ireland that looks past the care and medical needs of older people to protect all aspects of ageing.
CEO of Active Retirement Ireland, Maureen Kavanagh, said: “What our members are telling us is that they feel sidelined and overlooked by policymakers and it is not hard to see why.”
“We have a National Positive Ageing Strategy published by the government 10 years ago in 2013 that has not been implemented and indications that this will instead be replaced by a Commission on Care, which, despite being committed to in the Programme for Government, has also not seen any movement,” she said.
Ms Kavanagh continued: “We have a Minster of State for Older People who sits under the Department of Health and also has responsibility for the mental health portfolio. Health is as important in later life as at any stage of life, but what about housing, transport, environment, enterprise, infrastructure, communications, and every other aspect of society?”
One of the respondents to Active Retirement Ireland’s survey said that they felt the contribution of older people in society is under appreciated.
“The contribution of older people to families, workplaces, communities, and society in general is undervalued. Attitudes need to change.”
“While one lauds the work done by the current Minister for Older People, she places far too much emphasis on care, medical needs and nursing homes. Older people are active, engaged, and intelligent,” the respondent said.
