Press Release

Deputy Lord Mayor Cllr. Collette Finn Officially Opens Age Action's New Cork Office

Cork, Ireland, 8th November - Age Action, Ireland's leading advocacy organisation for older people and ageing, is delighted to announce the official opening of its new Cork office at Core House Link Road, Ballincollig, Cork. The ribbon-cutting ceremony was conducted by Deputy Lord Mayor Cllr. Collette Finn on 8th November, ushering in a new era of possibilities for the organisation.

(Monday 16 Ocotber 2023) 

The Need for a Cost of Ageing Study Highlighted by Age Action’s Report Spotlight on Income in Older Age  

To mark International Day for Eradication of Poverty, Age Action published Spotlight on Income in Older Age—The State of Ageing in Ireland 2023 which reveals the importance of social protection for us all in older age. 3 in 10 people aged 66+ rely on social protection for over 90% of their income and a further 4 in 10 people aged 66+ rely on it for more than half of their income. As a result, older people highly value the Irish state pension, as well as ‘precious’ supports such as Medical Cards and the Free Travel Pass. 

(Tuesday 10 October 2023) Reacting to the Budget 2024 announcements, Age Action’s spokesperson said: 

“Many older persons will be relieved to see that the state pension has gone up more than just a fiver. However, a €12 per week increase does not replace all the lost spending power since 2020. The core rate of the pension would need to be increased by a further €19, on top of the €12, to have the same spending power it had in 2020. 

(Sunday 8 October 2023) 

Age Action, Ireland’s leading advocacy organisation for older people, is calling for the government to stop cutting the spending power of the State Pension. Age Action’s analysis that the rate of the State Pension needs to go up €30 per week just to maintain the same spending power that the pension had in 2020.

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.