Tag Archives: Age Action

AGE Action, Ireland’s leading advocacy organisation for older people and ageing, is offering older people the opportunity to improve their digital literacy skills so they can be more informed, connected and independent. The Age Action ‘Getting Started’ programme is five hours of free one-to-one tutoring for older people who want to learn or develop their skills on a smartphone, tablet, or computer. Age Action will match people with a volunteer who will tutor them over the phone. The programme is learner led meaning the class is designed for the person to learn what they want to learn. Typically, classes cover topics like how to set up an email, how to download an app, and how to use video to meet friends or family. Age Action will also send learners a 40-page booklet with images to help with tutoring sessions. People can find out more and register for the Age Action Getting Started KIT classes by calling Age Action on 01 …

A SERIES of smartphone classes for older people in a number of libraries across Clare will begin at the end of September. The daytime classes will take place in the libraries in Ennis, Shannon, Scariff, Kilkee and Ennistymon. The four-week programme will include a session on Zoom video conferencing and the WhatsApp platform so that participants can learn how to connect with others and how to avail of online classes and activities. The tutor-led classes will be of two hours’ duration and will take place in the mornings or afternoons. Numbers at the classes are limited due to current restrictions. The classes are specifically for those who do not have a smartphone or have just recently received one. Karen Fennessy, Age Friendly Development Officer for Clare County Council, has advised that many older people felt isolated when cocooning during Covid-19 restrictions. Other Council staff on the Clare Covid-19 community response helpline also noted requests for service provision for older people, …

Age Action has called for an “aggressive public information campaign” to inform members of the public how to report cases of elder abuse. The leading advocacy organisation for older people was responding to the publication today (Monday) of HSE figures revealing that almost 8,000 cases of alleged adult abuse were reported in 2016 but only 6% of cases were reported by the alleged victim or their family. Justin Moran, head of advocacy and communications, said, “The number of elder abuse cases has been rising every year since the HSE started reporting figures almost 10 years ago. “The best way for older people to protect themselves is to be informed, to ensure their friends and family know what warnings signs to watch out for and to act when they suspect elder abuse.The very low figures for reporting of abuse by those who are suffering from it or their family suggests too few people know what to look out for or how …

CANDIDATES will have to earn the votes of half a million older people in the General Election, according to an alliance of organisations representing the views of Ireland’s older citizens. The Earn Our Vote campaign is challenging all of Clare’s election candidates to prove that they represent the needs of older people, by committing to implement three key policies, if they are elected to Government. The Earn Our Vote alliance is comprised of Active Retirement Ireland, Age Action, Age and Opportunity, ALONE, Irish Senior Citizens Parliament, Active Ageing Partnership and Third Age Ireland. The Earn Our Vote campaign is centred on three central policy demands. The campaign is calling for the appointment of a Cabinet-level Minister for Older People to implement the National Positive Ageing Strategy. The alliance is also looking for support for older people to remain healthy and engaged within their communities for longer, through interventions and investment in primary care and care in the community. In addition, calls …

Age Action is urging people to keep an eye on their older neighbours tomorrow night (Saturday). Justin Moran, head of advocacy and communications at Age Action, said,”Halloween can be a distressing time for many older people, especially those living alone, with people setting off bangers and fireworks or large crowds coming to the door after dark. “We would encourage people to keep an eye on your older neighbours, particularly if you are out trick-or-treating with children tomorrow night, to ensure they are not being bothered.

Age Action is urging communities to play their part to ensure that their older neighbours remain safe and well in their homes as Met Eireann forecasts snowy and icy conditions countrywide today (Tuesday). Age Action spokesman Eamon Timmins said, “Snow and ice make that challenge even greater as many older people may not be able to get out to buy food, fuel or medical supplies.” Met Eireann is forecasting accumulations of up to 8cm of snow in some parts of the country and hail, sleet and icy conditions in other areas. “If there is an older person living in your neighbourhood we would encourage you tovisit or phone them to check if they need supplies and that they are okay – don’t depend on others to do it,” Mr Timmins said. ” We are urging older people not to venture out in slippery and dangerous conditions. But if they are to take this advice, they may need help from neighbours …

Age Action is urging all older people to ensure they have a working carbon monoxide alarm fitted in their home, following a serious incident in Cork last weekend. “Carbon monoxide alarms can, and do, save lives,” Age Action spokesperson, Eamon Timmins said. He was commenting in the wake of an incident on Saturday morning when two sisters, aged 92 and 84, were found unconscious in their home, in a case of suspected carbon monoxide poisoning. The alarm was raised by a neighbour who called to their home as part of a regular visit. “Thankfully both ladies were found in time,” Mr Timmins said. “But the incident must act as a wake up call to everyone who use coal, gas or oil to heat their homes. We would urge people to ensure their central heating systems are serviced regularly and that their carbon monoxide alarms are working.” Age Action’s Care and Repair programme volunteers can help older people fit carbon monoxide …

Age Action has urged the Government to take “meaningful steps” in the upcoming Budget to assist older people, who are struggling as a result of the cumulative effect of recent austerity budgets. “Many older people are struggling to heat their homes, pay for their medications and adapt their homes so they can continue to live in them,” Age Action’s head of advocacy and communications, Eamon Timmins said. “The choices which older people are being forced to make – choosing between food, fuel and medication – are simply unacceptable,” he declared when addressing the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Education and Social Protection on Wednesday. Mr Timmins outlined the results of research it carried out earlier this year with its members across Ireland to assess the impact which austerity measures were having. “From people going to bed early and staying in bed longer in the morning in order to stay warm, to people cutting back on food, older people revealed how they …