Press Release

Age Action welcomes relaxation of some cocooning measures but criticises lack of consultation with older people.

(1 May) Age Action called for the Government to consult with older people as it plans for the longer-term impacts of Covid-19. To date, public health and Government advice has treated the over 70 age cohort as one. As a single age cohort people over the age of 70 have been subject to public health measures but not enabled to participate in the decision-making process that would ensure that their lived experience and their self-identified needs informs the outcome.

Connect, Inform, Support

Age Action launches the Getting Started KIT Programme

Supporting Digital Literacy Skills Amongst Older People

(Tuesday 28 April) Getting Started Keep In Touch (KIT), a national learning initiative to help older people improve their digital literacy skills was launched today by Age Action, Ireland’s leading advocacy organisation for older people. The Age Action Getting Started KIT is a series of  NALA approved How To KIT Guides and a video tutorial presented by Mary Kennedy, to help older people to use a smartphone, or other device, to get online so they are more connected, informed and supported particularly those people over the age of 70 that have been asked to stay at home as part of the Covid-19 response measures.

The Irish Red Cross and Age Action today welcomed RTÉ correspondent Fergal Bowers’ COVAID initiative as a huge boost to their Hardship Fund. Reporting an unprecedented level of interest in the fund, they said the fund would otherwise struggle to meet the level of need being expressed.

The Hardship Fund, which was set up in a partnership with the Irish Red Cross and Age Action, was put in place to help older, vulnerable people who had been experiencing additional financial burden due to the Covid-19 crisis. Over €25,000 from the fund has already been allocated to applicants.

(18 April) The Alliance of Age Sector NGOs wish to acknowledge the care being given to our nursing home residents during the Covid-19 pandemic, and to call for equal access to appropriate treatment options for all older people guided by the principles within the Ethical Framework for Decision-Making in a Pandemic (Department of Health 2020).

Age alone should never be a barrier to realising one’s right to health.  In its position adopted on 3rd April 2020, Alzheimer Europe considers it unacceptable to systematically restrict access to ventilators during the COVID-19 pandemic to people living with Alzheimer’s disease and other types of dementia, or people living in nursing homes.

(16 April) Active Retirement Ireland and Age Action have responded to a framework document published by Fine Gael and Fianna Fáil with disappointment at the lack of commitments to older people and our ageing population. The document, which will inform coalition talks between the two political parties and potential coalition partners, was published yesterday and both NGOs have expressed concern that older people are being “largely ignored”.

(14 April 2020) Age Action, Ireland’s leading advocacy organisation for older people, today called on the Minister for Health to ensure there is a nationally coordinated response to manage the impact of COVID-19 on home care provision.

It is expected that up to 3,000 home care workers may be deployed to nursing home settings in the coming weeks to support the COVID-19 response measures which means that some people are being told that their home supports are being reduced or suspended.

8 April 2020: The Irish Pharmacy Union (IPU) and Age Action have called for the Medical Card prescription levy to be suspended for the duration of the Covid-19 crisis. The IPU said that the measure is proving especially difficult for cocooning patients to administer and that suspending it would remove a barrier to vulnerable patients accessing medicines.

Commenting, IPU Secretary General Darragh O’Loughlin said, “One of the many challenges being experienced by people who are following official advice to cocoon at home is accessing medicines. This is being experienced most acutely by people over 70 or those with underlying conditions, the very people who are more likely to require regular medicines.

 (Tuesday, 31 March 2020) Age Action and Active Retirement Ireland have described the Government extension of the fuel allowance as ‘piecemeal and inadequate’.

 Age Action & Active Retirement Ireland today criticized the piecemeal nature of the Government’s response to the financial challenges facing older people affected by the COVID-19 crisis. They argue that close to 70% of pensioners will not benefit from the announcement.

(Tuesday, 31 March 2020) Older people facing additional hardship as a direct result of the Covid-19 pandemic can apply for financial support from Age Action and the Irish Red Cross.

 Age Action and the Irish Red Cross are launching a COVID-19 Hardship Fund in partnership to support people experiencing difficulties meeting costs associated with the COVID-19 pandemic.  Unexpected costs can put an added strain on older people and the Hardship Fund will assist with the costs of increased food bills and associated delivery costs, replacing or upgrading essential small appliances, additional transport, energy or communication costs and the costs of additional safety or security equipment to enable older people to remain safe and well in their homes.

(29 March) Age Action today called on the Minister for Health Simon Harris to ensure that the HSE take immediate and urgent measures to protect persons with a disability living in large congregated settings during the COVID-19 pandemic.

COVID-19 clusters were reported in 3 residential settings and 17 nursing homes which accounts for 22% of the total number of COVID-19 clusters /outbreaks in Ireland according to data prepared by the Health Protection Surveillance Centre for NPHET on 28/03/20.