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AgeingMatters in Ireland Ageing boldly PAW 2018 Fun and learning through Positive Ageing Week 10-11 Seeking a fair Budget 2019 See Age Action’s budget recommendations 3–5 Older Immigrants Ageing in a strange land 12–13 Issue no. 281 ISSN No: 1649-3516 October 2018
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AgeingMatters October 2018
Opinion
Sunset run
As we enter the autumn months, it is good to know we
have some exciting events planned at Age Action. The
main immediate focus here is Positive Ageing Week
This booklet is a publication of (PAW), which is the first week of October. It is being
Age Action. It is published six
times a year. launched with the Bank of Ireland Sunset run on Sandy-
mount Strand on Thursday, September 27th.
Anna Marty Morrissey will MC proceedings and for the first
Publisher Age Action Ireland McCabe
Ltd time we’ll have some board members participating, includ-
ing our Chair, Patrick McCormack, and our Company Secretary, Lisa
Address 10 Grattan Crescent, McKenna. BOI will match funds raised. We appreciate BOI’s sponsor-
Inchicore, ship of PAW and invite you to visit the PAW website for details on all
Dublin 8 that’s happening around the country: www.positiveageingweek.com
(See pages 10 & 11).
Telephone (01) 475-6989
Budget
Fax (01) 475-6011 Immediately following PAW, to bring us down to earth no doubt, will
be Budget 2019 day on Tuesday, October 9th. We recognise that there
Email info@ageaction.ie are a lot of competing demands on government coffers at present,
with homelessness and health being at the top of the list. Nonetheless,
Website www.ageaction.ie
we are hopeful that our submissions to government departments will
be given due consideration and that our key requests of increases in
Age Action Company Limited by the State Pension by €5 per week, the Living Alone Allowance by €3
Ireland Ltd Guarantee per week and the Home Supports budget by 26% will be granted. (See
Registered in Ireland pages 3 – 5)
No. 198571
Charity No. CHY
Pilot programmes
10583
I would like to tell you about two potential new services from Age Ac-
tion being piloted, coincidentally both in Cork. The first is an off-shoot
Interim Chief Anna McCabe of our Care and Repair (C&R) service called the ‘Hospital Discharge
Executive Service’. This is where our C&R team will help provide practical sup-
Publishing & Gerard Scully & ports to facilitate someone’s coming home from hospital. For example,
Information Corona Joyce
installing grab rails, moving a bed downstairs, even getting in some
shopping for their return. The much-appreciated funding is being
design Catherine Osborn
provided by the Bons Secours Hospital (Cork) – thank you. Nonethe-
less, patients can also be referred from the Mercy, St. Finbarr’s and the
South Infirmary, with a plan to add Cork University Hospital in January,
all going well. (See pages 17 –18)
“EncourAGE IT” is a pilot project from our Getting Started (GS) team
which will take place over four weeks at the SuperValu store in
Glanmire. The team will provide follow-on IT support for local people
who have completed GS classes. During the pilot, the service will be
n Cover photo by Getty
Images Photographer
appointment-based but the hope is that if the service is extended, it
Hans Berggrenn. would be a drop-in service for older people. The support of Musgraves
IT and the folks at SuperValu is greatly appreciated.
As I sign off, I hope that you will take part in some of the events of
Positive Ageing Week. Our members come first in all we strive to do!
3 October 2018 AgeingMatters Healthcare Budget 2019 welcomed Budget 2019 discussions are underway. We may not all understand the jargon that fills the airways at this time of year — fiscal space, deficits, overspend — but we do know intuitively that our health service is failing to provide the quality Home Sup- port services which are needed to maintain health and wellbeing of older people as well as to avoid or delay the need for hospital and residential care stays. Age Action is aware that there as Harvard economist William Enabling older people to re- are loud voices competing for at- Hsiao remarked. He stated that main at home for longer through tention. We also know that there “your ethics, your sense of jus- investment in these schemes are hard choices to be made, tice determine how you distrib- can deliver savings associated and often the long-term invest- ute goods and services, includ- with long-term residential care ment choices which yield results ing healthcare”. and acute hospital admissions and better outcomes for service and stays by ensuring fewer users are the unattractive ones. Home support services older people require preventable These choices are unattractive The current policy of prioritising hospitalisation or residential because it can take longer than the provision of resources to fa- care. a Government’s lifespan to begin cilitate discharge from hospitals Age Action welcomes the pro- to see the benefits, making it on an emergency basis means gress made towards designing less compelling for some politi- older people in hospital can and delivering a fit-for-purpose cians as they fear that they will access them more easily than statutory Home Care scheme no longer be associated with the those in the community. This which will be underpinned by a success as they may no longer makes it harder for older people robust legislative framework that be in office. in the community (for example, has a sustainable funding model The basis of decision making with non-emergency needs) to which can provide quality care in healthcare is a moral one have their care needs met. Continued on page 4
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AgeingMatters October 2018
▲ Age Action members discuss Budget 2019.
Age Action calls for modest
increases in Budget 2019
Many older people live just above pover- takes place, many older people continue struggle
ty threshold. to make ends meet. Many older people continue to
As the debate on how the government should live in consistent poverty, with many more living in
address the competing calls on the public purse poverty or just above the poverty threshold.
From previous page Sláintecare health reform plan now come to begin to resource
will make on this and future Sláintecare to ensure that it
for those who need it. We realise Budgets. can begin to deliver universal
that this will take time to develop We applaud and support the healthcare, over a ten-year period
but we have signalled our com- cross-party consensus to deliver based on income.
mitment to working with Minister the healthcare system which You told us very clearly what
Daly and his staff to ensure the Ireland so badly needs, based the Government needs to do
scheme is fair, affordable and on need and not ability to pay. to improve health; ensure that
accessible to all who need it. We Sláintecare offers a roadmap to older people have access to the
are calling for an increase in the achieve these reforms to ensure health and social care services
Home Supports budget by 26% that those who need care receive they need, in particular, access
to begin to meet unmet need. it regardless of their means and to Home Supports. Age Action
[Cost: €106 million]. health insurance status. has made your wishes known to
The Government signed off on Government in our pre-Budget
Sláintecare Sláintecare in May 2017 and it 2019 submission on health. It is
Age Action is also conscious of has taken some time to set up now the Government’s responsi-
the heavy resourcing demands the Implementation Office and bility to make the right decisions
that the implementation of the recruit the Director. The time has for our health service.
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October 2018 AgeingMatters
Age Action is calling for an increase in the week- over-70s medical card, we are asking for an expan-
ly State Pension by €5 per week to build towards sion of the range of services provided by the GP
achieving the Government’s commitment in the visit card to include prescriptions to those over 70
National Pensions Framework of a State Pension [Estimated Cost: €61.5 million].
set at 35 per cent of average weekly earnings [Esti- This charge is particularly unfair as it is imposed
mated Cost: €160.9 million]. on people who are both unwell and living on a fixed
income.
Living Alone Allowance Age Action believes none of these demands are
The Living Alone Allowance was introduced in excessive but will make a real difference to the
1977. The basis for the allowance was the real- lives of many older people. Older people are aware
isation that older people living alone on a single of the difficulties faced by other groups in socie-
income are faced with largely the same level of ty and despite living on fixed incomes try to help
costs as a couple living on a double income. The their children and grandchildren. It would make no
Allowance remained at €7.70 between 1996 and sense to allow large numbers of older people to
2015. It now stands at €9.00 having increased in drift below the poverty line while trying to lift other
2015. groups out of poverty.
Last year rather than give an across the board
increase in the allowance, the government intro-
duced a €2.50 phone support allowance only for
Age Action asks for Budget 2019
those on both the Living Alone Allowance and in Social Welfare
receipt of the Fuel Allowance. This year Age Action l Increase the weekly State Pension by €5.
is asking for an increase in the cost of the Living l Restore Christmas Bonus by Christmas
Alone Allowance by €3 per week [Estimated Cost: 2018.
€32.8 million] l Increase Living Alone Allowance by €3 per
week.
Reversal of 2012 changes to State Pension l Increase Over-80s Allowance by €2 per
In September 2012 the government made chang- week.
es to the qualifying criteria for the Contributory l Reverse 2012 changes to State Pensions.
State Pension that cost tens of thousands of l Restore the Bereavement Grant.
older people, mostly women, up to €30 per week. l Restore Fuel Allowance to 32 weeks.
This was done without warning. Earlier this year l €5 million extra funding for Free Travel
the government introduced a specific scheme to Scheme.
help people affected by the changes introduced in
2012. This scheme will not help everyone, and we Dept of Health
believe it will be difficult to administer. Age Action l Increase Home Supports budget by 26%.
believes the easiest and fairest way to resolve this l Extend reablement programme to Communi-
issue is to reverse the changes introduced in 2012 ty Health Organisations.
to the State Pension system reducing the number l Conduct a Cost-Benefit Analysis of reable-
of bands from six to four [Estimated Cost: €73 ment pilots in Home Supports and measure
million] health and social outcomes for participants.
l Increase the income threshold for a medical
Prescription charges card in line with State Pension and other
On the previous page Audry has outlined why benefits.
we are calling for an increase in Home Supports l Expand GP card to include prescriptions to
budget by 26% to begin to meet unmet need. [Esti- over-70s.
mated Cost: €106 million].
Also, as a first step towards reinstating the full
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AgeingMatters October 2018
▲ Ballybunion beach & castle.
Ballybunion on the
Wild Atlantic Way
A new buzzword, ‘staycation’, meaning vacating in Ireland, has crept into the vo-
cabulary of hard-pressed Irish holidaymakers who no longer wish to suffer long
delays and strikes at airports, not to mention being packed into a low cost aircraft
where baggage can be a costly item, writes Deasún Ó Seanáin
And when you reach that for- our rugged rocky west coast, loads were balanced on either
eign shore will the clouds of renowned as a place of cultural side of the camel. So when the
mosquitoes surround you or will diversion. line was opened, each carriage
you pine for a cool breeze or the had to have an equal weight of
smell of a crispy rasher? Why not The Lartigue monorail passengers seated on either side
leave all this aggravation behind In the last century the Lartigue to prevent swaying. This archaic
and have a staycation instead? Monorail brought thousands system led to many problems
Perched high up above the of visitors from Listowel on its and was abandoned when cars
Atlantic Ocean lies the town of single track to Ballybunion’s now and buses took its place. It ran
Ballybunion. It takes its name defunct railway station. It also from 1888 to 1924 and a cou-
from the Bunyan family who carried goods and livestock. ple of miles of it are used as a
were landowners there over two This transport system was tourist attraction at its station in
hundred years ago. The beach pioneered by an engineer named Listowel.
was once divided into the Ladies’ Lartigue who had spent time in
and Men’s beaches, you may north Africa and observed how The beach
not have heard of this gem on camels carry their load. These When you stand on this beautiful
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October 2018 AgeingMatters
sandy strand with the Atlantic cuisines that would delight the this spot. We can speculate that
to your back you will observe palate of any wandering gourmet. his wife provided him with a son
Ballybunion Castle towering up One can relax in the traditional on the tenth attempt!
above a black rock base on you bars where the sweet tones of The world famous Ballybunion
right. To your left is the seaweed the local uilleann pipers can be Golf Course is nearby and there
baths which are noted for their heard. Ballad singers are plenti- is a statue of US President Bill
therapeutic affect particularly for ful in this Kerry town and its sur- Clinton outside the Garda Sta-
those with arthritis. This type of roundings. Songs of emigration, tion commemorating his visit in
treatment has made its way into rebellion, famine and lovesick which he played a round of golf.
upmarket women’s magazines bachelors are always popular in Within easy reach of Bally-
as both an effective natural skin this haven of poetry and song. bunion are Listowel, with its
enhancer and a relaxing tonic While the Tinteán Theatre hosts castle and the John B. Keane
for the modern health conscious a series of concerts and occa- bar, Ballylongford, birthplace of
lady. Indeed, some of the not- sional plays from time to time. The Raghallaigh a hero of the
so-young single ladies on the 1916 Rising, Carrigafoyle Castle,
lookout for the ‘one and only’ Hole of the Nine Daughters Rattoo Round Tower and the
often immerse themselves in There is a spectacular Cliff Walk Cliffs of Dineen, famed in song
this magic liquid on their way that takes in a number of fea- and story.
to the matchmaking festival at tures one of them known locally One thing is certain, you will
Lisdoonvarna. as the Poll na Naoi n-Iníon or return to your home with a great-
‘Hole of the Nine Daughters’. er understanding of the natural
Places of entertainment Legend has it that a king once world and the sound of the Wild
The town itself has an assort- lived there, and he wanted a Atlantic and the folks who live on
ment of casinos, quiet bars and son to take over. However, nine the edge of this marvellous isle
eating establishments where daughters were born one after of contrasts and vitality and you
everything from fast food to the other whom he drowned in might never be the same again.
▲ Ballybunion beach.
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AgeingMatters October 2018
▲ My Legacy Week runs from 29 October to 4 November.
My Legacy Week
We are currently in the at any time of the year. is a wonderful way to support
planning phase for My It is usually a much more a favourite cause in the future.
Legacy Week, which this straightforward and cost-ef- Large or small, every legacy is a
year takes place from 29 fective process than you might generous gift of hope and trust
October to 4 November. think; it will only take about an for the future.
hour or so of your time. Leaving a legacy to Age Ac-
Having a will is very impor- tion will strengthen the many
tant for so many reasons. And Your solicitor services we provide to older
particularly during this annual Your solicitor will discuss what people around the country and
awareness campaign we encour- is necessary for drawing up this help develop new initiatives for a
age you to take this first step in important personal document growing number of people.
writing your will by making an when you make your appoint-
appointment with a solicitor. ment.
We are grateful for the support Once family and friends have For further information on how
of hundreds of solicitor firms been looked after and all other you can help, please contact
all around the country who can important personal decisions Daragh or anyone in the Busi-
offer expert guidance and advice have been made, deciding to ness Development team at 01
about making or amending a will leave a legacy gift to a charity 475 6989. Thank you.
9
October 2018 AgeingMatters
▲ Age Action Volunteer Carol Singers.
Tis (almost) the season!
I am sorry for mentioning the the festive We are so grateful for this as it will add to the
festive cheer and brighten up the day for everyone
season before Halloween but here in Age
involved.
Action we are already busy planning for
If you are musical or indeed can help us in any
Christmas, writes Gerard Scully
way in December, we would love to hear from you.
I am always conscious that we could not do
This is the busiest time of year for the fundraising much of our work, general or fundraising without
team with our Fantastic Christmas Raffle, carol your support.
singing and our Church gate collections. Members and volunteers are an integral part of
Age Action. Your continued support will help us
Volunteer carol singers with our vision to make Ireland the best place in
Some people have already contacted us to volun- the world in which to grow old.
teer their time with carol singing. Musicians have We are always grateful but sometimes forget to
also contacted offering their services to support say thank you. Can I take this opportunity to say
the singers. just Ar mhaithe le fáil, buíochas a ghabháil leat.
10
AgeingMatters October 2018
Positive Ageing Week 2018
Fun and learning through the week
Positive Ageing Week 2018, in association with Bank of how best we can achieve that.
Ireland, should be underway as Ageing Matters lands Limerick’s Strand Hotel on the
on your doorstep. Ennis Road is the venue for our
Talks on Thursday and will be
Just to highlight three events Age Action volunteers will be hosted by Liam Toland of Home
that are taking place during available to help solve issues Instead Senior Care.
the week that may be of inter- you may have around use of
est;TechTuesday is being held smartphones and tablets. Tips for living at home
on Tuesday 2nd October in the It will also have information ses-
Royal College of Surgeons on St Wellness Wednesday sions from Dr Katie Robinson,
Stephens Green in Dublin from Wellness Wednesday is taking occupational therapist, who will
12 noon to 2.30pm. The event place in Cork at the Patrick have practical tips for living at
highlights some of the technol- Street branch of Bank of Ireland home and protecting our mental
ogy that is available to support and has an early evening start of health; Dr. Audrey Tierney, nutri-
people living independent lives. 5pm. It will focus on keeping our tionist - “Healthy Ageing: Eating
It also has a ‘tech drop-in’ where minds and bodies healthy and the Mediterranean Way” and Dr.11
October 2018 AgeingMatters
Rose Galvin, physio - Healthy ◀ Images by
Ageing: “Exercise advice for old- Getty Images
er people”. This event begins at
5pm on Thursday October 4th.
All the above events are free
but it is necessary to register
as space in limited. To register
please go to www.positiveage-
ingweek.com and click on
Events. If you are not online
then you can contact Carol on 01
4756989.
Help Age International visitors
Age Action will be welcoming
three visitors from Help Age
International during Positive
Ageing Week – Prafulla Misra,
Taipwa Huye and Andrew Kavala
are all working on the Ageing
and Development project which
is funded by Irish Aid. They
will be visiting some of the Age
Action groups seeing how we
can all work for the good of older books on this theme, highlight- grandchildren reading together
people both in Ireland as well as ing books for young people that or any story being shared be-
Kenya, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Mala- feature intergenerational rela- tween generations.
wi and Mozambique. tionships.
The bond between a child and Post your photos on Twitter
Children’s Books Ireland their grandparent is unique and (@kidsbooksirel) or Facebook
Age Action is working with enriches the lives of young and (https://www.facebook.com/
Children’s Books Ireland who old alike. Lived experiences and childrensbooksireland) using the
have just launched a nationwide stories told by older generations hashtag #shareastory.
reading campaign with the publi- help young people to understand To pick up an Inis Reading Guide,
cation of the Inis Reading Guide. the world around them and how visit your local library or
The guide recommends the very it continues to change. Through www.childrensbooksireland.ie
best books in all genres and age these relationships, they learn
groups (0-18), enabling children about their heritage and family Children’s Books Ireland will also
– often with the help of a parent, background, helping them under- be running storytelling events
guardian, grandparent, teacher or stand who they are and where at the Dublin Book Festival with
librarian – to find the right book they come from. author/illustrator Peter Donnelly
for them. and author Patricia Forde; these
This year, the campaign cele- Share a Story will be aimed at younger children
brates the special bond between The theme is Share a Story/ and their grandparents or whom-
grandparents and grandchildren Scéalta — Ó Ghlúin go Glúin. To ever of an older generation is in
and the importance of relation- win a bundle of excellent chil- their lives. For more information,
ships across generations. dren’s books, we are looking for see www.childrensbooksireland.
The guide includes a section of pictures of grandparents and ie12
AgeingMatters October 2018
▲ Roma women arriving at the Intercultural Resource Centre.
Growing older in a new country
Moving to live in another country, or other countries in Tallaght and Clondalkin. About a
migrating as it is often called, is chal- third of the people attending English classes and
lenging. But migrating when older is using other supports provided by these centres are
obviously even more challenging. aged over 55.
Migrating to Ireland has clearly increased in the Reasons for migration
last two decades and as a result the Irish popu- People migrate for all sorts of reasons. They may
lation has become much more ethnically diverse. be forced to migrate and become refugees, as is
The last census in 2016, showed 17.3% of the pop- the situation for so many people leaving war torn
ulation to be born outside Ireland. These census Syria. Refugees are defined in international law as
figures don’t tell us what proportion of this group people who are outside their country of origin for
are aged over 55. reasons of persecution, conflict or general violence
Age Action recently conducted a short study which make it intolerable for them to live in that
to find out more about what these challenges country.
are. The study was done in collaboration with the Or they may migrate, seeking a better life. Rea-
South Dublin Community Partnership which runs sons can range from acute economic need, such
two Intercultural Resource Centres for people from as prevail in many poorer, developing countries,13
October 2018 AgeingMatters
to looking for better job opportunities. Or reasons
may be more social such as joining family mem-
bers in the new country. Some of these reasons
were true for all the people who spoke to us.
Some had come to Ireland to work when they were
younger.
Some had come to be close to their grandchil-
dren and support their adult children with child
care because their parents were working. And a
number had fled as refugees from countries that
are affected by long term violence and conflict
such as Afghanistan, Congo, Iraq, Somalia, Syria,
and sought asylum in Ireland. Other ethnic back- ▲ Older Refugees at Intercultural Resource Centre.
grounds and countries from which participants
came included Latvia, Italy, Poland, Lithuania, as Nigeria where English is widely spoken, grasp-
Vietnam, Kurdish people from Iraq, Roma people ing the peculiarities of English as spoken in Ireland
from Romania. can be difficult.
Very importantly not having command of the
Enough English to fit in language can create difficulties in using services.
Not having enough English to fit in, to make friends Many participants described the difficulties in
or to use services was a major hurdle for most of engaging with services, especially health services
the participants, in spite of having access to excel- and of having to bring their children with them to
lent English language classes. appointments.
Many said it was difficult to make real progress
when learning at a later stage in life. And an extra Experiences of discrimination and racism
difficulty for some of the participants from poorer Many participants had experienced some form
countries was that they had limited formal educa- of discrimination although they didn’t like talking
tion and struggled with basic literacy. about it. Some of this had been from landlords.
Some of it had been from young people in their
We live like a blind or deaf person. neighbourhoods.
A Roma woman was frequently stopped by se-
Afghan participant
curity guards at the entrance to the local shopping
centre and was asked if she could wear a short
skirt instead of her traditional skirt. African people
Participants were positive about the friendliness had experienced higher levels of racism and this is
of Irish people but, significantly, none of them had sadly borne out in other research recently conduct-
Irish friends. They gave many moving examples ed countrywide.
of how not having enough English interfered with This is a very short snapshot of some of the
their attempts to fit in. These included the feeling themes that emerged in the study. Despite the dif-
that they lived like a blind or deaf person and sto- ficulties described people were generally positive
ries of people speaking to their children who may about moving to Ireland and the kindness of Irish
not be fluent in their parents’ language. people. What was particularly impressive in listen-
One participant told us that she had joined a few ing to their accounts of leaving their own countries
Irish social groups in an attempt to make friends and navigating very complex situations in their
but said that she generally felt left out of conver- new country was peoples’ resilience and courage.
sations because she couldn’t keep up with Irish There is no doubt of the assets they bring to Irish
jokes. Even for people coming from countries such society.14
AgeingMatters October 2018
Stepping into a
technological utopia
The Getting Started learner experience
Having stepped past the
threshold of the front door
of the Age Action Ireland
office on Model Farm
Road, my sister and I took
the leap into an unknown
technological utopia. We
were greeted by the Ad-
ministrators, Julie and
Sigrid who were pleas-
ant and most welcoming,
writes learner Ann Marie.
Then we were introduced to our
Tutors Alvaro and Denis. They
were truly wonderful. How they
made the world of tech savvy
techniques easier to understand.
At first, we were both apprehen-
sive about pursing the course.
Fear is one of the greatest barri-
ers to progress. We can honestly
say that the material learned
concerning computer operations
and mobile phone devices was
amazing.
New Samsung phone ▲ Volunteer tutor Alvaro with learner Anne Kelleher and her guide dog Rory.
For myself, I ended up pur-
chasing a Samsung mobile ready to “launch” ourselves into We truly enjoyed ourselves.
phone. I never thought I would this amazing world. Mary and I would recommend
do that. Now I can make a call, Denis and Alvaro really ex- others to take on the courses
take a call, go on Google; use the plained concepts to us so pa- offered in technology by Age
camera. tiently. The other tutors, too, Action. We thank all concerned
There are so many more were quite helpful. Conversa- in our learning very much for
Information technology skills tions over tea and coffee were opening our world to tech-
to acquire - we find that we are inspiring and interesting. nology.15
October 2018 AgeingMatters
Pleasure to work with Ann Marie
The Getting Started tutor experience
It has been an absolute pleasure to get to find routes, getting opening hours of places in
to know Ann Marie and introduce her town, and other useful information such as free
into the world of technology and Inter- music and videos on youtube!
net: getting the basics on how to search
on google, how to book flights or how to Her first smartphone
comfortably surf the web are life-chang- The big day came when she decided to purchase
ing skills, writes volunteer tutor Alvaro. a smartphone and come to Age Action right away
with her new tool. We showed her the basics of
The first day I met Ann Marie I sensed she was the phone: how to turn it off, how to change vol-
hesitant and scared of technology, hearing on the ume, how to make and receive phone calls, take
radio that people got scammed and lost money pictures, and how to use Google on it. She was
over the Internet. She was also worried other delighted she could get an alarm call every morn-
people might be recording conversations or seeing ing with the phone.
messages. She clearly wanted to jump into the By the end of the class she was already sending
smartphone era, but these fears were holding her messages to her sister and using Google voice to
back. ask questions.
She was also a big fan of the keyboard on her Ann Marie now has the skills to get comfortable
old phone, something she would have to give up with technology, and use her new smartphone
for the screen keyboard present on smartphones daily, you can be next, don’t be afraid of getting in
nowadays. We spent the first 2 classes just talking touch with Age Action and we will have you getting
about technology in general and clarifying con- started with the basics of the digital life
cepts, reassuring her the Internet was a safe place There’s an option within the keyboard settings,
if she had the skills to use it properly. where you can get a larger, brighter keyboard with
Then, we moved on to the benefits of using the the keys backlight in dark colours, this simple tool
Internet: better deals and discounts on hotels, will make your typing much easier, especially in the
restaurants and cafés reviews, using Google Maps first weeks with the smartphone.
◀ New Opening Hours:
The Ballyfermot show-
room opens Monday
to Wednesday 9 to 5,
Thursday 9-8, Friday 9-5
Saturday 9-6 and Sunday
12-5. Our direct contact
details are 01 912 1850
and
showroom@ageaction.ie.16
AgeingMatters October 2018
First pop-up five star restaurant
in a nursing home
We are delighted to an-
nounce the successful
launch of Chapter Two at
The Fern Dean, the first
pop-up restaurant of its
kind in Ireland. Chapter
Two is a bona fide, 5-star,
a la carte, culinary and
dining experience for es-
teemed guests.
At the outset it is important to
state that this is not associated
with Chapter One. However, it
does include a team of high end
fine-dining chefs, an experienced
and professional service team,
an attentive host and the ability
to deliver exceptional dishes with
carefully selected wines to make
for a bespoke dining experience.
Chapter Two was launched on
17th August to serve all those
with a connection to The Fern
Dean in Blackrock, Co. Dublin.
The pop-up fine-dining expe-
rience is the first of its kind in
Ireland (set up within a nursing ▲ Fine dining at The Fern Dean.
home for senior citizens) and
welcomes residents, family, after dinner teas and coffees. ble culinary and services team in
friends, staff and acquaintances The pricing of the meal is Aramark, this fine-dining pop-up
of all of the former to dine and passed on at less than cost price experience will be continuing
socialise together in style. per patron without the usual to run on a fortnightly basis for
rental overheads and margin ap- its distinguished patrons. The
Five star dinning plied in a comparable commer- success of the inaugural night
Attention to detail in the dining cial high street restaurant. The boding well for many a wonder-
experience is that of a 5-star opening night was a resounding ful evening in Chapter Two at
standard. It includes a carefully success demonstrating that few The Fern Dean.
constructed three course a la things trump the simplicity of
carte menu, matching wines sharing good food and wine with For queries, please contact
selected by a skilled sommelier, family and friends. Cillian Willis on 0877618194 or
stylishly crafted deserts and Supported by the knowledgea- cillian@virtue.ie17
October 2018 AgeingMatters
▲ Age Action members Sally Gorey and Sean Lattin show off one of the carbon monoxide alarms.
Care & Repair to provide free carbon
monoxide alarms
For the third year running Age Ac- Gas Networks Ireland for this donation of carbon
tion will be installing carbon monoxide monoxide alarms for our clients.”
alarms free of charge for older people Owen Wilson, Gas Networks Ireland said: “Car-
through our Care & Repair programme. bon monoxide is a colourless, odourless gas that’s
very difficult to detect so it’s essential that every
home has a carbon monoxide alarm. Gas Net-
National Development Manager John O’Mahony works Ireland is very pleased to be able to donate
is delighted to be able to provide the alarms again 4,300 carbon monoxide alarms to Age Action
this year. “Our Care and Repair teams provide free Ireland to help older people protect against the
DIY jobs for older people all year round. deadly gas.”
Safe in their homes The alarms will be available from September to
The people we visit are often living alone, with no Care & Repair clients in Dublin, Cork and Galway
family members to care for them. and through our Care & Repair community part-
We aim to make sure they are comfortable and ners in certain other locations around the country.
safe in their own homes. We are hugely grateful to Call Age Action on 01-4756989 for details.18
AgeingMatters October 2018
▲ John O’Mahony receives cheque from Ken Joyce of Bons Securs to get pilot scheme started.
Pilot service to help older people on
discharge from hospital
Age Action’s Care & Repair service, supported by Bon discharged from hospital and
Secours, is piloting a new initiative to assist older peo- return home in better safety and
ple who are being discharged from hospital. comfort.
Care & Repair jobs
National Development Manager The patient can therefore stay Examples would include mov-
John O’Mahony explained “Older in hospital longer than is nec- ing a bed downstairs, installing
people are often discharged essary. In this pilot Hospital handrails, replacing toilet seats,
from hospital with reduced mo- Discharge Service, the Care & removing trip hazards and
bility levels following accidents Repair team will work with health purchasing some basic grocery
or illnesses. They need adapta- professionals, patients and their items.”
tions in their homes and other families to provide an increased The pilot project has been
supports to accommodate for level of support for those being launched in Cork. If success-
this. discharged from hospital.” ful it will be rolled out in other
“Sometimes the hospital “A series of tasks will be locations in 2019. Age Action is
staff cannot discharge people agreed on a case by case basis hugely grateful to Bon Secours
because the home is unsafe. that would enable a client to be for supporting the project.19
October 2018 AgeingMatters
U3Agroups q RAMS U3A
Newcastle, Co. Dublin
Matt Dowling at (01) 458-9007
q Rathmines
q Active Virginians U3A Ann O’Neill at jphoneill@
Patricia Price at (087) 235- q Club 50, Donegal U3A hotmail.com
0515 Anne Gallagher at
Annegallagher60@yahoo.ie q Roscommon U3A
q An Cosán U3A Tallaght Vivienne Clarke at (01)
Imelda Hanratty at (01) q Dublin City U3A 475-6989
462-8488 John Roche at (01) 201-7490
q Rusheen Woods U3A
q Anovocare U3A q Dun Laoghaire, Dalkey, Galway
Swords, Co. Dublin Killiney U3A Angela Glavee at
Inga Herman at activities@ Donal Denham at dldk@ rusheenwoodsu3a@
anovocare.ie gmail.com gmail.com
q Ballina U3A q Kiltipper WoodsU3A q Sligo U3A
Valerie Morris at ballinamay- Clare Healy at activities@ Kathleen Foley at katemf@
ou3a@gmail.com kiltipperwoods.ie eircom.net
q Ballymun U3A q Limerick U3A q Sutton-Baldoyle U3A
Peter Branigan at (087) Noreen Waters at (085) Eileen Sweeney at u3asutbal@
292-4001 150-3522 gmail.com
q Ballyroan U3A q Lucan U3A q Swinford U3A
June Murphy at (01) Mary at lucanu3a@gmail. Livvi Daly at olivierdaley@
494-7030 com. gmail.com
q Blackrock U3A q Maynooth U3A q The Bray Heads
Eileen Larkin at (087) Helena Kirkpatrick at (01) Isolde Moylan at
418-7030 628-5128. isolde.moylan@gmail.com
q Blessington U3A q Monaghan U3A q Tramore U3A
Peter at (087) 815-1018 Eamonn Callaghan at (087) Mollie Hunt at molliehunt@
918-6567 eircom.net
q Bray U3A
Linda Uhlemann at (086) q Monkstown q Waterford City U3A
045-1600 Laraine at u3a.monkstown@ Josephine Murphy at (051)
gmail.com 871-037
q Carrick-on-Shannon U3A
Margaret Fawcett at (086) q Wexford Town U3A
837-2934 Deirdre or Ed at (089) 227-
For more information, email
8021
Carol, U3A Administrator,
at u3a@ageaction.ie or call
(01) 475-6989 (Wednesday,
Thursday or Friday).20
AgeingMatters October 2018
Auto-enrolment pensions scheme
under discussion
The Department of Em- the 4th of November 2018. The Action will be making a submis-
ployment Affairs and scheme proposes that workers sion on this important issue and
Social Protection (DEASP) aged between 23 and 60, who would like to hear your views.
has launched a national earn more than €20,000 a year (See https://www.surveymonkey.
and are not already contributing com/r/BXBKVZP)
consultation on the pro-
to a workplace pension, could be The link to the DEASP consul-
posed Automatic Enrol-
automatically enrolled. tation page, including details of
ment Retirement Savings
The purpose of the consulta- regional forums, can be found by
Scheme.
tion is to seek the views of stake- following this link:
The consultation began on the holders and members of the http://m.welfare.ie/en/Pages/
22nd of August and will close on public about the scheme. Age Consultations.aspx#strawman
Annual membership application
I wish to join Age Action and enclose STANDING ORDER
€............ membership fee, plus €................ To the Manager
voluntary donation payable to Age Action (Name of Bank/Building Society)���������������������
Ireland Ltd. �����������������������������������������������������������������������
If you are already an existing Age Action Bank Address:�������������������������������������������������
member and wish to renew your membership, �����������������������������������������������������������������������
please write your membership number here �����������������������������������������������������������������������
����������������������������������������������������������������������� Please pay annually to Age Action Ireland,
Permanent TSB, 70 Grafton Street, Dublin 2,
Full name:������������������������������������������������������� BIC: IPBSIE2D
(Block capitals please) IBAN: IE82 IPBS 9906 2587 7790 21
Address:���������������������������������������������������������� the following amount €..............................������
����������������������������������������������������������������������� until further notice. Starting on: 1st day of
Tel: ����������������������������������������������������������������� January 20..... .
Email: ������������������������������������������������������������� Name:�������������������������������������������������������������
(Block capitals please) (Block capitals please)
BIC: ���������������������������������������������������������������
Date: ��������������������������������������������������������������� IBAN:���������������������������������������������������������������
Signature:��������������������������������������������������������
FEES Please return to:
€20 Individual – retired/unwaged Membership Development,
€40 Individual – employed Age Action Ireland CLG,
€60 Voluntary Body 10 Grattan Crescent, Inchicore, Dublin 8.
€200 Statutory Agency Email: membership@ageaction.ie
€500 Commercial Tel: (01) 475 6989You can also read
