Kathleen Lynch (Cork North Central, Labour) | Oireachtas source

I wish to reply to one thing Deputy Kelleher said about a gentleman in Cork who has a prescription for 12 items. Although it has not been mentioned by anyone, there is a cap in respect of the prescription charge of €25 per month. It is not as if it is open-ended.

I thank the Deputies for raising this matter and for giving me the opportunity to outline some key elements of our approach to the care and support of our older people. From the outset the Government has given a high priority to the issues concerning older people and this continues today across a range of policy areas. I can, therefore, accept the motion proposed by the Deputies.

In general, we are living longer than previous generations. A century ago, average life expectancy was in the region of 50 years. Today, average life expectancy for men is almost 77 years and for women almost 82 years, while life expectancy at the age of 65 years is rising faster here than anywhere else in the European Union. Ireland will experience an unprecedented ageing of the population in the first half of the 21st century. By 2040 there will be an estimated 1.3 million to 1.4 million people aged over 65 years, representing between 20% and 25% of the total population. The greatest increases are expected in the over 80s age group, where numbers are expected to increase four­fold from 110,000 in 2006 to approximately 440,000 in 2040. Ireland currently has one of the youngest populations and the lowest proportion of people aged over 65 years in the European Union. We have a little more time than others to plan for the future. To achieve this it is necessary to plan now and in doing so we should remember that to provide effectively for the health and welfare of older people we must consider not only health services but the built environment, transport links, social cohesion, crime, the health of the economy, personal income, availability and quality of services and social engagement as well.

The programme for Government promised to publish a national positive ageing strategy. In April this year we delivered on that promise. This strategy was led by me as Minister of State with responsibility for older people at the Department of Health but its scope encompasses many Departments and agencies. The strategy seeks to ensure that older people are recognised, supported and enabled to live independent full lives. The development of the strategy was informed by consultations with a cross-departmental group and NGO liaison groups and a review of international strategies on ageing combined with an extensive public consultation process.

The strategy is underpinned by the 2002 World Health Organization active ageing policy framework and the UN principles for older persons from 1991, which can be summarised as independence, participation, care, self-fulfilment and dignity. The strategy exhorts all of us to look at population ageing in Ireland as a vast demographic bounty, with older people continuing to contribute as consumers and producers, often fulfilling a vital role in families and communities. This strategy is significant because it was based on what older people said about their needs. It is in line with the Madrid international plan of action on ageing, which proposes that a necessary first step in changing attitudes towards older people is to mainstream ageing into national frameworks and strategies.

The positive ageing strategy is based around participation, health, security in the home and policy supported by research. The four national goals and their underpinning objectives are specific to particular policy areas. However, actions to combat ageism and to improve provision of and access to information are required in all policy areas. The strategy goals are being translated into time-framed actions to be implemented and monitored under structures established under the healthy Ireland framework.

The first annual report on the implementation of the positive ageing strategy will be published by the end of this year. Further annual reports on positive ageing activity will be informed by annual positive ageing forums to be convened by the Department of Health. The Cabinet committee on social policy will oversee the implementation of the strategy. To this end, the Department of Health is actively engaging with other responsible Departments and agencies to drive the implementation of their elements of the strategy.

While planning for the future is important, I emphasise that there is already an extensive system of supports and services available to our older people including the nursing homes support scheme and the home help and home care packages. Deputy O'Dea should note that we have not decimated the nursing homes support scheme.

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