ALONE calls for action on housing and health for older people ahead of General Election
ALONE is urging candidates and voters to prioritise the needs of older people as they go to the polls
- There are more than 7,000 people on the waiting list for the Home Support service.
- More than 13,400 people over the age of 75 waited on trolleys or chairs for more than 24 hours in A&Es up to November 2019.
- The number of people aged 70 and over in need of social housing has increased by 9.9% in just one year.
- There are 20,000 more older people in poverty now than there were last year.
- The number of people aged 65 and over is projected to increase from 630,000 in 2016 to just under 1.6 million by 2051.
Dublin, 24th January: ALONE, the organisation that supports older people to age at home, has called on General Election candidates to put ageing on their agenda as they 
released their manifesto today ahead of the February 8th General Election.
The organisation is calling on candidates to commit to four key asks ahead of the election to ensure the diverse needs of older people are included in the next programme for government. ALONE also criticised the lack of vision and funding dedicated to older people’s services which is resulting in the basic needs of older people going unmet, particularly in the areas of housing and health.
“There are 20,000 more older people in poverty now than there were last year. There are more than 7,000 people on the waiting list for home support. The number of people aged 70 and over in need of social housing has increased by 9.9% in just one year. These numbers are stark and they highlight the real experiences of older people in Ireland today,” said ALONE CEO Seán Moynihan.
“Older people need more than a commitment to a fairer State Pension. We need representatives who will deliver real change for the older people we work with who are experiencing homelessness, who can’t afford to heat their homes, who are on hospital trollies, on waiting lists for home supports and those who are lonely and isolated from support structures,” he continued. “While we have seen progress and commitments in relation to some of these areas, ultimately the people we support need to see real action now, not in five or ten years’ time. Older people need financial security, safe housing, support with health and wellbeing, and to have their voices heard, but ultimately these needs are going unmet for many. We need to urgently rethink how we are supporting older people, particularly in the context of our ageing population.”
To achieve this, ALONE is asking candidates to commit to:
- Fund home supports and health services which enable older people to age at home
- Increase housing delivery targets and implement supports to prevent a worsening housing crisis for older people
- Halt increases to the pension age and triple lock the State Pension
- Appoint a Minister for Older People and Demographic Change
ALONE noted the importance of broadening the conversation around the policy needs of older people.
“Health and housing are the primary needs of the older people we work with. Issues including being on the waiting list for home support, spending days and nights on hospital trolleys, and the difficulties with the health services are issues which directly impact a large number of the older people we work with,” Moynihan continued. “We work with older people in their 80s receiving notices to quit, and others sleeping on friends’ sofas because they have nowhere else to go. These are the types of challenges that the older people we work with need addressed.”
“We must widen the scope of the conversation and ensure that the diverse needs of older people are being considered at the highest levels of Government. These are not currently being seriously addressed. Just one example is the National Positive Ageing Strategy, which was published in 2013 and has not yet been implemented or funded. The next Taoiseach must commit to appointing a Minister of State for Older People and Demographic Change to meet these needs and to plan for the opportunities and challenges of our ageing population,” he continued.
ALONE’s manifesto includes asks to deliver a demand-led, quality-driven statutory home support service; deliver a national strategy on loneliness and publicly allocate loneliness to a Government department; increase Rebuilding Ireland housing targets and delivery to meet demand levels; deliver homelessness exit programmes for older people; implement benchmarking and triple lock the State Pension; and to appoint a Minister for Older People and Demographic Change.
“We are asking the public to inform canvassers and candidates that they will consider the needs of older people a priority when making their decisions on Election Day. Prioritising the needs of older people is something that people of all ages should take an interest in. Ultimately this is a vote not just for older people today, but for everyone in the years to come,” concluded Moynihan.
ALONE’s full General Election Manifesto is available online here: https://alone.ie/wp-content/uploads/2020/01/ALONE-General-Election-Manifesto.pdf
About ALONE
ALONE is a national organisation that supports and empowers older people to age happily and securely at home. We support individuals and their families, work with other organisations, and campaign nationwide to improve the lives of older people. We work with all older people, including those who are lonely, isolated, homeless, living in poverty, experiencing illness or frailty, or are facing other difficulties. We support them through these challenges to help them find long term solutions.
ALONE provide Support and Befriending, Coordinated Support, Age-friendly Housing, and technology and community services. We use individualised support plans and provide one point of contact for older people to access health, social care, housing and other services to improve physical, emotional and mental wellbeing. ALONE enables outcomes including improved quality of life, community activation, and implementation of national strategies.
