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Research Reports

Research Reports

Gender and the State Pension

In 2012, changes introduced to the eligibility criteria for the State Pension (Contributory) made it increasingly difficult to obtain the top weekly payment rate. These changes had a disproportionate impact of women pensioners. Age Action published research on this issue in February 2017 highlighting the impact of these changes.

Older People's Care Preferences

In 2016 we published our research with colleagues in the Irish Association of Social Workers, the Alzheimer Society of Ireland and the School of Social Policy, Social Work and Social Justice in UCD on older people's preference for care.

Older People's experience of outpatient services in Age Action West

In 2014 members of the Galway Glor group carried out a survey of older people's experience of outpatient services in Age Action West. This report highlights the findings of this research.

Older People’s Understandings of Elder Abuse

In 2011, Age Action was the co-author of a report on older people's understanding of elder abuse. The research conducted as part of this report was carried out by older people themselves who were engaged in this project as peer researchers.

Gender Discrimination and Age

Written in collaboration with Age Action Ageing and Development team, this booklet highlights the issues affecting older women in Ireland and the Global South.

The Impact of Auserity on Older People's Experience of Poverty

To mark the UN International Day for the Eradication of Poverty 17th October 2014 we published this booklet which highlights the impact that austerity has had on older people's experience of poverty and social exclusion.

Rural Poverty

In collaboration with Age Action's Ageing and Development programme we published this short booklet on the experience of rural poverty and social exclusion in Ireland and developing countries to mark the UN Interational Day for the Eradication of Poverty 17th October 2015.

Age Action Awarded Investing In Volunteers National Quality Standard

Age Action is delighted to announce that we have been awarded the Investing in Volunteers quality standard. Investing in Volunteers (IiV) is the national quality standard for good practice in volunteer management in Ireland.

The Investing in Volunteers standard assesses the organisation’s volunteering programme in six areas: vision for volunteering, planning for volunteers, volunteer inclusion, recruiting and welcoming volunteers, supporting volunteers, and valuing and developing volunteers. As part of the process, we completed a self-assessment of our volunteering programme, and with the assistance of an Investing in Volunteers mentor, we then put together an improvement plan. Over the course of the assessment forty of our volunteers were interviewed as well as staff and board members.

Every year, hundreds of people volunteer with Age Action in our Getting Started digital literacy programme, and with our Care and Repair DIY Service. We would like to thank all of our wonderful volunteers who bring their time, energy and skills to Age Action and are the reason that our volunteering programme is so impactful. Volunteers are at the heart of our programmes and services at Age Action and without our volunteers we couldn’t fulfil our mission to support older people to live full and independent lives. Achieving the Investing in Volunteers quality standard shows our commitment to providing an experience that reflects how much we value our volunteers.

Here’s what some of our Volunteers said as part of the process:

‘I’ve gained a lot of skills from volunteering.  It has built my confidence in teamworking and communication.’

‘It keeps me active being able to help people and improve their quality of life’. 

‘I think they’ve got it just right with the amount of information to keep you in touch.  The monthly newsletter let’s you see what’s going on”.

“Emails keep you informed.  They are very willing to take suggestions on board, they encourage you to give them feedback’.

Going through the Investing in Volunteers process has helped us to review and improve our volunteering programme in its entirety, from how we recruit, train and support volunteers, to how we communicate with and involve our volunteers at all levels of the organisation. As we celebrate achieving the standard, we reiterate our commitment to providing the best possible volunteering experience for our volunteers who make an incredible difference in the lives of those older people we serve.