On International Older Person’s Day, ALONE says Budget measures do not go far enough to provide for older people we support

Charity says older people have been let down by Government promises not kept

ALONE, the charity which enables older people to age at home, says that while increases to the State pension are welcome, the Budget has not gone far enough in supporting older people, particularly those who are living alone.  Given the massive growth in the population of over 65s that is happening now, it was a missed opportunity to invest in the infrastructure and services that will be needed.

“While any increase to the rates must always be welcomed, the pension increase of €12 is simply not enough,” said ALONE CEO Seán Moynihan. “With lower energy credits, and the new electricity levies being brought in, older people will be less than €6 better off per week because of this Budget. This is why it is so disappointing that the rates of fuel allowance and living alone allowance have not been increased. Once-off payments support older people in the immediate term, but they do not provide any security for six months down the line, and older people living alone will struggle as a result.”

Given the rapidly changing age-profile of our citizens – with a million of our people over 60 today, a figure set to increase dramatically in the years ahead – one-off payments and modest rate increases are not an adequate response to the changing face of Irish society.

These changes to the profile of our population will be persistent and permanent, and Government’s actions must match the new shape of our society. That means locking in policies and payments which help to take the uncertainty and anxiety out of ageing at home.

Deprivation among older people living alone has increased significantly over the last ten years, from 3% in 2013 to 20% in 2023. ALONE’s financial intervention supports provided to older people tripled between 2022 and 2023.

ALONE also expressed disappointment that Government has not lived up to commitments it has made to older people during its term. “This Government committed to benchmark the State pension and have since reneged on that promise. Ireland is now the only country in the eurozone without a system of benchmarking the state pension,” Moynihan continued.

“In addition, while we welcome the introduction of the Universal Companion Pass, the Government had committed to develop an action plan to combat loneliness across all age groups, but to date has not assigned funding or staff to develop this plan. On International Older Person’s Day, and the last Budget of this Government, it is worth remembering the promises that have not been kept.”

However, ALONE welcomed additional funding for housing adaptation grants, which the organisation said was “overdue”: “We were pleased to see the review of housing adaptation grants finally published last week, and hope demand for these grants can finally be met.”

Moynihan concluded, “We look forward to examining the finer points of the budget in relation to health, housing, energy and home support. With an election in the offing, all parties have a prime opportunity to make real commitments to supporting our older people in the manifesto and campaign period ahead”.

As ever, ALONE will continue to provide older people with guidance, information and signposting on available supports via its National Support and Referral Line, once the impact of the new Budget measures is fully clear.

 

About ALONE: 

ALONE is a national organisation that enables older people to age at home. Our work is for all older people and aims to improve physical, emotional and mental wellbeing. We have a National network of staff and volunteers who provide an integrated system of Support Coordination, Practical Supports, Befriending, a variety of Phone Services, Social Prescribing, Housing with Support and Assistive Technology.

We use individualised support plans, to address health, financial benefits and supports, social care, housing, transport and other arising needs using technology and through harnessing other services.

We work to empower the whole sector of community support for older people through our Community Impact Network that provides Training, IT support and resources to other organisations.