Press Release

Cork, August 23, 2023 — Age Action, in partnership with volunteers from Gas Networks Ireland, successfully organised a heartwarming "Garden Blitz" event on August 23rd. Bringing together dedicated volunteers to transform the lives of older Age Action clients in the Cork area, this remarkable initiative aimed to create safe and functional outdoor spaces for six deserving people, enhancing their quality of life.

(Wednesday 19 July) Age Action is asking Government to raise the full rate of the contributory State Pension by €30 per week to restore its 2020 spending power, as a first step towards benchmarking the rate at 34% of average earnings, which should be achieved by 2026 as a ‘living pension’ alongside the introduction of the new national living wage. 

(21 June 2023) 

Responding to reports on RTÉ about the findings of the review of the National Independent Review Panel (NIRP) into allegations of abuse at a HSE run Nursing Home Age Action said ‘the reported findings that women who disclosed allegations of abuse and assault were not believed and therefore the appropriate actions were not triggered should be a watershed moment in how older people are treated in our society, particularly in a health care setting.

(Sunday 18 June 2023) 

SIPTU representatives will join the National Women’s Council, Age Action, Active Retirement Ireland and members of the Senior Citizen’s Parliament to launch a Pension Promise campaign in Dublin tomorrow (Monday, 19th June). The campaign is demanding that the Government honours its promise of a state pension rate of 34% of average earnings and to halt the alarming number of people experiencing real pension poverty in Ireland.

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.

(Thursday 23 March 2023)  Responding to the announcement that rental income will not be charged to the HSE under a revision to the Nursing Home Support (‘Fair Deal’) Scheme, Age Action said that older people will be put at risk of financial abuse because appropriate supports and safeguarding measures are not in place.

(Tuesday 21 February 2023) 

Age Action welcomes the government’s recognition that the current rate of the state pension is inadequate in the face of the increased cost of living and that many older people need additional supports.  

(31 January 2023) Age Action is reiterating their call for Government to set up a Commissioner for Ageing and Older persons to bring an appropriate level of insight, representation and transparency to policy on ageing and older persons, and to help prevent scandals such as the recent revelation of a secret state policy to deter older persons from taking cases to challenge being charged for nursing home care.

(07 December 2022) 

1 in 4 people experience age discrimination according to Age Action’s new poll Are We Ageist?, conducted by IrelandThinks, with people who were unemployed more than twice as likely to experience age discrimination as people with any other work status. ​

“Age Action is working to reframe how we think, feel and act towards older people and ageing in Ireland, so we commissioned a public poll to understand the degree to which we hold ageist opinions in our society. The public poll reveals that most people in Ireland hold some ageist opinion with people aged 18-34 more than two and a half times as likely to agree with three or more ageist opinions” explained Celine Clarke, Head of Advocacy and Public Affairs at Age Action.

(Monday 17 October 2022) 

In advance of the vote on the Social Welfare Bill 2022, Age Action is calling on TDs and Senators to raise the weekly rate of social welfare by at least €20 to lessen the impact of inflation and the likely rise of poverty and deprivation in 2023.