Joe O'Brien (Dublin Fingal, Green Party) | Oireachtas source

I thank the Senator for raising this genuinely very important issue. The Government is committed to supporting positive ageing across the life course, as well as ensuring that older people can continue to live independently in their homes and communities for as long as possible. This commitment is enshrined in the national positive ageing strategy, which provides a blueprint for promoting older people’s engagement in economic, social, cultural and community life and fostering intergenerational solidarity. Recognising the need for a whole-of-society approach to supporting positive ageing, the strategy’s implementation is a whole-of-government endeavour. This has been advanced through a wide range of initiatives developed and delivered in partnership with the community and voluntary sector.

Ten years on from the publication of the strategy, we have taken great strides in making Ireland a great place to grow old. This achievement was recognised in 2019 when the World Health Organization formally designated Ireland the first age-friendly country in the world. This progress is testimony to the work of a host of organisations to which the Department of Health provides funding, including Age Friendly Ireland, Age Action, Age and Opportunity and Active Retirement Ireland, to name a few. More broadly, at Government level, positive ageing has been mainstreamed through a range of strategies, including the national volunteering strategy, the national sustainable mobility policy and Pathways to Work.

In the Department of Health, key aims of the ongoing Sláintecare reform of our health and social care system include the following: enabling people with care needs to continue to live independently for as long as possible; the reorientation of the provision of care away from acute hospitals and towards primary and community care; and the realignment of hospital and community-based care to ensure that care is provided close to people’s homes. Many of the services currently funded by the HSE for older people are vital to achieving these aims, including home support, day care and meals-on-wheels. The Government’s total investment in older persons’ services in 2024 will be €2.6 billion, over €158 million more than in 2023.

Despite our progress to date across government in supporting positive ageing, we recognise the challenges we will face in a range of areas in the coming years as our population ages. It is within this context that we are currently in the process of establishing an independent commission on care for older people. The purpose of the commission will be to examine the health and social care services and supports provided for older people and to make recommendations for their strategic development. Subsequently, a cross-departmental group will be established under the commission to consider whether the supports for positive ageing across the life course are fit for purpose and to develop a costed implementation plan for options to optimise these supports.

On 14 December 2023, the Minister for Health and the Minister of State with responsibility for mental health and older people announced the appointment of Professor Alan Barrett, CEO of the ESRI, as the chairman of the commission. In the coming weeks the Minister and Minister of State will proceed to appoint the other members of the commission, who will also be independent experts.