Mary Moran (Labour)

I wish to share time with Senator Kelly.

I warmly welcome the Minister of State to the House again and I commend all those who have put tremendous work into producing the report. I am fortunate in that I happen to live in County Louth, the first county in Ireland and one of 33 areas worldwide to meet the criteria of the WHO Global Network of Age-friendly Cities and Communities. I have been fortunate also in recent months to have had the opportunity to witness at close hand the work being done, in particular in Dundalk which aims to make it a great place in which to grow old. Following my meetings with the team in the Netwell Centre of the Dundalk Institute of Technology and the presentation the centre gave in the Oireachtas audiovisual room at the end of February, I have become increasingly aware of the potential that exists to ensure Ireland becomes one of the greatest countries in which to grow old. We must recognise, first, that people of all ages benefit when communities are designed to be age-friendly and older people live healthy, active and fulfilled lives. The Minister of State has visited the Netwell Centre and witnessed the excellent work done there.

In compiling this report, two major themes emerged from the submissions: the need for the rights of older people to be enshrined formally and recognised and the need to support and encourage independent living at home for as long as possible. Sometimes, listening to media reports, one would think the majority of elderly people spend their latter years in residential care, but this is far from the truth. The majority of elderly citizens live at home, which is where they choose to live. It must be ensured this choice is available to everyone who wants it by supporting the elderly in their communities through ensuring services and supports for them are made more responsive, caring, professional and accessible through imaginative and cost-effective partnerships.

It is one thing for these services to be available, it is another to ensure people are aware of their entitlements and how to access this support and assistance. Older and Bolder, in its submission, drew attention to the issue of information and accessibility to services. One of the main focuses of the Nestling Project in Dundalk, a project I would advise everybody to look into if they have an interest in this area, is to contact elderly people through home visits, groups and the dedicated volunteer telephone line, Good Morning Louth, which was set up recently to keep in touch with the elderly. These contacts ensure information is relayed about services and entitlements. Underpinning this through legislation is the only way to ensure access to services and community care becomes a right for the elderly rather than the minefield it is.