# Age Action
Last month
March 2023
# fair deal scheme
Changes allowing nursing home residents to keep rent could see older people 'forced to move out'
‘It is not unknown for Sage Advocacy to have to support a client who has found that the locks on their home have been changed while they were in hospital or in a nursing home for a temporary period.’
Last year
2022
# Age Action
Call for all social welfare payments to be increased by €20 as older people 'turn off heating'
Age Action said the State Pension should be increased by at least €23 in the Budget.
# Pension
Pension age to remain at 66 under new proposals to be announced next month
It’s at odds with the recommendations of the Pension Commission report published last October.
All time
# Age Action
Concern raised for vulnerable older people after Bank of Ireland closes 88 branches
An Age Action survey found that some 65% of people over the age of 65 experience “digital exclusion”.
# Covid-19
NPHET to consider guidance for people who live alone during 'no visitor' restrictions
Concerns have been raised about the effect of the latest Covid-19 restrictions on older people, single parents and those who live alone.
# storm ciara
'Offer a lift': Calls for people to mind their older neighbours as storm due on voting day
Met Éireann has issued status yellow wind and rainfall warnings for Ireland on Saturday, the day of the general election.
# ge2020
'It will get worse': 'Embarrassed' over-65s forced to sign on the dole
Sinn Fein has pledged to restore the pensionable age to 65
# Old Age Pension
Age Action calls for €9 weekly rise in old age pension
The pension has only increased by a little over €7 in the last 10 years.
# marriage bar
'I never cost the State a penny, but now they're taking part of my pension'
Tens of thousands of people are losing out on receiving a full State pension due to rules that were introduced in 2012.
# Fair Deal
Growing old in Ireland: 'If you want support, you're going to have to pay for it'
Whether its Fair Deal contributions, nursing home fees or general funding in the care system, money gets in the way of older people deciding where they spend their final years.
# restrictions
Business people, farmers and older people forced to travel to other towns as banks go cashless
Limits on cash lodgements and withdrawals are causing headaches for some rural customers.
# Fair Deal
'They simply can't afford it': Older people being priced out of nursing homes
Age Action has said some nursing homes are charging “extortionate costs”.
# the big knit
How tiny woolly hats are making a difference in the lives of older people
The knitted creations raise money for charity and allow older people to meet up and work together.
# Report
Women are being 'penalised for working' since changes were brought in to the State Pension
Age Action say that pensioners have lost out on as much as €1,500 a year since 2012.
# home care deal
Home care: The way we care for the elderly could be about to change
A bill enshrining the right to home care passed the second stage of the legislative process yesterday.
# cards from thailand
Older people in Ireland are getting lovely Christmas cards made by Thai kids and their Irish teacher
They’re sending the cards to the charity Age Action, who will distribute them to the older people using their services. Aww.
# Your Say
Poll: Should mandatory retirement be abolished?
Retirement clauses have led to high numbers of older people on the dole.
# forced out
Mandatory retirement has lead to more 65-year-olds on the dole than at any other age
Age Action is calling for mandatory retirement clauses that force people out of their work because of their age to be abolished.
# Bluebell
'Utterly heartbreaking': Community shocked by death of two elderly brothers
Daniel and William McCarthy were deaf and had lived together in south Dublin for over two decades.
# positive ageing
'I'm 78 and still outrun 18-year-olds in the park'
John Fitzsimons wants to challenge certain stereotypes about older people.
# Financial Abuse
Vast majority of elderly abuse is carried out by a close friend or family member
A new campaign aims to highlight the financial abuse of the elderly.
# Futureshock
The number of young people with pensions has fallen dramatically since the recession
Figures released by the Central Statistics Office show decrease in pension for majority of workers.
# HIQA
'There should be national outrage': 20% rise in reports of abuse in elderly care homes
The figures are contained in a Hiqa annual report.
# Age Action
Irish pensioners made to choose between heat and food need extra €5 a week
Age Action is calling for increases to the State pension and the living alone allowance.
# community
'I used to feel like crying but to get a window you can see out properly, it's like winning the Lotto'
Age Action is looking for volunteers to help with its Care and Repair programme.
# look familiar?
A white-gold wedding ring was dropped into a charity bag by accident
A detailed description of the garment where the ring was stored will be needed to prove ownership.
# Christmas Bonus
Pensioners are now having to 'choose between food and fuel and medication'
Age Action says it would welcome the return of the Christmas Bonus in next week’s Budget.
# Your Say
Poll: Do you keep an eye on your elderly neighbours?
Do you make sure you know how your elderly neighbours are?
# Age Action
A 103-year old man has challenged Usain Bolt to a 100m race
Hidekichi Miyazaki is the fastest centenarian in the world.
# Age Action
Dublin's dual stars need to 'decide at 16' which code they want to play
Former Dublin hurling boss Humphrey Kelleher has made the call.
# struggling
Some older people are being forced to choose between food, fuel and medication
Age Action says the Government needs to look out for the elderly.
# Off The Buses
"Absolutely none": Changes to Free Travel Pass are off the table, says Burton
It follows the launch of a campaign yesterday urging politicians not to meddle with the current scheme, which allows older people free travel on public transport.
# on the buses
"Hands off": Older voters send warning to Government on Free Travel Pass
The scheme is currently being reviewed, but Age Action is warning that any negative changes will be vehemently opposed by older people.
# feelin hot hot hot
Public asked to look out for elderly people as temperatures soar
Temperatures will hit 28 degrees today, but the public is being asked to remember elderly neighbours.
Voices
Opinion: Would you know if an older relative, friend or neighbour was being abused?
Despite the caring, protective, respectful attitude Irish society likes to think it has towards older people, elder abuse is widespread.
# Leaders' Questions
'You can turn off the tap' - Enda Kenny's advice on conserving water
Gerry Adams said water charges indicated how “far removed” the government is from the general public.
# HSE
Age Action welcomes campus smoking ban exemption for some nursing homes
Residents of the homes, as well as public psychiatric facilities, at sites in the Midlands will be exempt.
# Grant cuts
‘Lay off older people’: Elderly grant cuts slammed as ‘sneaky’ and ‘mind-boggling’
However Minister of State Jan O’Sullivan said she believes changes will allow for people to stay in their homes.
# Age Action
Warning that gas price hike could cause hardship for elderly
Age Action said that some people may have to choose between food and fuel if Bord Gáis is allowed to raise domestic gas prices.
# Age Action
Abseil 200ft when you're 80? No bother, says Ronnie
Ronnie Hurley is a founding member of the Limerick Sub Aqua Club – and the oldest scuba diver in the county, if not the country.
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