Ageing Matters Pension fight continues - in Ireland - Age Action
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AgeingMatters in Ireland Pension fight continues Pension justice Meeting Minister Doherty 7 FraudSMART Are you being careful with your money? 10-11 Silver Surfers 2018 Meet our open eir Silver Surfer winners 16-17 Issue no. 279 ISSN No: 1649-3516 June 2018
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AgeingMatters June 2018
Opinion
Driving Age Action forward
As I write this I am looking forward to my first Annual Gen-
eral Meeting since I joined Age Action in October.
Last year was a period of change for Age Action as we
This booklet is a publication of took steps to ensure we continue to serve our members
Age Action. It is published six
times a year. and clients well and look to the future to anticipate the
changing needs of our members.
John Church
Thanks to modern day medicine we are all living longer
Publisher Age Action Ireland
Ltd and by 2026 the number of people over the age of 65 living in Ireland is
projected to reach 861,000 compared to 637,000 in 2016. The chal-
Address 30-31 Lower lenge for Age Action is to ensure we have sustainable income sources
Camden St, to grow our services to meet the demand created by this growing popu-
Dublin 2 lation.
Telephone (01) 475-6989
Identify changes
Since joining Age Action, I have been working closely with the Board to
Fax (01) 475-6011 identify the changes we need to make and then supporting our team as
we go through these changes.
Email info@ageaction.ie From the outset, I was very impressed with the commitment to the
cause shown by everyone in Age Action. I was also impressed with the
Website www.ageaction.ie
impact our services are making on the lives of older people.
Throughout 2018 we are taking a good look at our organisation and
Age Action Company Limited by sense-checking what we do and what difference we make to the lives
Ireland Ltd Guarantee of older people. Our vision of making Ireland the best country in which
Registered in Ireland to grow old is certainly more relevant now than ever.
No. 198571 Recently, we moved all of our Camden Street office staff to our prem-
Charity No. CHY
ises in Inchicore, bringing all our Dublin staff together under the one
10583
roof. This will help create a unified team and prepare us for the chang-
es ahead.
Chief John Church Our current strategic plan comes to an end in 2018 and the planning
Executive for a new era has begun in earnest.
Publishing & Justin Moran &
Information Gerard Scully
Address funding
One issue we must address is our funding. Age Action relies heavily
design Catherine Osborn
on funding from the State to run our services and various employment
schemes provide nearly 70 per cent of our workforce.
n Cover photo: Peter While we are very grateful for this funding, the fuel that will drive our
Kavanagh of Active
growth is sustainable income delivered by a successful fundraising
Retirement Ireland, Justin
model.
Moran of Age Action along
with Gráinne Ferris and To this end we are actively seeking more charity partners to collabo-
Susan Potts of the Irish rate with and to raise some much-needed funds. Our stores are per-
Countrywomen’s forming well and we are planning further growth in this area given the
Association ahead of unrestricted nature of the income they generate.
meeting Minister Regina Together, as members, volunteers and employees of Age Action we
Doherty TD.
must focus in the months and years to come on ensuring that we have
a reliable, independent, source of funding to ensure we can deliver for
future generations of older people. — John Church
3
June 2018 AgeingMatters
Minister to publish homecare
report in June?
Minister for Older People Jim Daly TD
is expected to publish the long await-
ed report on how a statutory homecare
scheme might work later this month but
frustration is growing at the pace of the
process.
Age Action and our Glór group in Galway were
among those who made more than 2,600 to a pub-
lic consultation on homecare that was launched
in July of last year. Initially, the Government had
planned to publish a report on the consultation
before the end of 2017.
“A proper, statutory scheme to provide homecare
in Ireland is urgently needed and a top priority for ▲ More and more older people are reliant on home
tens of thousands of older people and their fami- helps. Photo: Katarzyna Białasiewicz
lies,” said Age Action’s Justin Moran.
“It’s important that the Department of Health
takes the time to get it right but at this point dead- co-payment will be introduced.
line after deadline is being missed. We were told The Sunday Times recently reported one Govern-
to expect the report before the end of last year, ment source as saying, “No one will lose an enti-
then before the end of April and now, the latest, is tlement to free homecare hours, but new clients
hopefully before the end of June.” above a certain level of income could face charges
for the service when it becomes law.”
Homecare options “The Government is not moving ahead swiftly
The report is expected to set out a series of op- enough on this,” said Justin. “When the report
tions for how a homecare scheme would work, is published there will be more time needed for
the types of care that would be provided and how decisions to be made, then for legislation to be
the geographic disparities in accessing homecare drafted before, ultimately, it goes to the Oireach-
could be addressed. tas.
It would also look at how homecare might “In the meantime, waiting lists for homecare
be paid for. Currently, people in receipt of home- continue to grow, more family carers are put under
care through the HSE are not expected to make pressure and more older people face being placed
any form of financial contribution but indications in nursing homes because the homecare supports
from the department are that some form of are just not there for them.”
4
AgeingMatters June 2018
▲ Learners and tutors celebrate a Getting Started graduation at the offices of Phorest, one of our corporate
partners.
Majority of over-65s have
never used the internet
In a new Age Action briefing paper the organisation “We know there are enormous
calls for urgent support to tackle high rates of digital social benefits for older people
exclusion among older people who are in danger of who are online and research
being left behind in an increasingly online Ireland. shows it can reduce depression
among older people by as much
Figures from Eurostat show that the internet,” said Justin Moran, as 30 per cent.
50 per cent of people in Ireland Head of Advocacy and Commu- “For many older people it is a
aged between 65 and 74 have nications with Age Action. vital link to friends and families,
never been online compared with “Far fewer older people in a way to explore new hobbies
16 per cent in Britain. In 2013, Ireland are online compared with and interests, and some have
the Government described the Britain and our other EU neigh- turned their skills to starting
number of people over 75 who bours. As service providers like businesses or highlighting social
are online as ‘negligible’. banks push customers to do issues.”
“An entire generation of older their business online this is mak-
people is being left behind, cut ing it increasingly difficult for Getting Started
off from all of the opportunities older people to get information Age Action runs its own comput-
and benefits of being able to use and to access services. er training programme, Getting
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June 2018 AgeingMatters
Started, with funding from the Barriers
Digital Skills for Citizens Scheme The paper identifies a number of
run by the Department of Com- barriers preventing older people
munications, Climate Action and getting online including ageism, Age Action’s
Environment. a lack of confidence, the ab-
“We train thousands of older sence of broadband locally and proposals
people to use the internet every cost, which was highlighted as a
year,” said Jennifer Glansford, factor in research from Britain. l Immediately double
who runs the programme. This month, a new Telephone funding for the Digital
“We know they are as capable Support Allowance of €2.50 a Skills for Citizens Grant
as anyone else of learning how week will be introduced for those Scheme to €4.4 mil-
to send emails, shop and bank who qualify for the means-tested lion in Budget 2019 to
online, or to use social media. Fuel Allowance and live alone. provide more training
“But the resources are sim- “A broadband-only deal could places and to improve
ply not there to cope with the cost as much as €50 a month, the scheme’s coverage
demand for classes, to provide which is a lot for someone in rural Ireland.
them in one-to-one settings or on the State Pension,” Justin
to enable older people to repeat pointed out. “Older people, l Reform the Digital
classes to build up their confi- particularly those living alone, Skills for Citizens Grant
dence. should not be priced off the Scheme to provide
“The Government’s training internet. financial incentives to
programmes have helped tens of “The new funding is very wel- organisations to deliver
thousands people get online but come but it’s far smaller than the one-to-one training, to
the stark gap between internet old Telephone Allowance used allow learners to repeat
use by older people in Ireland to be and restricted to a small classes, to provide
and among our EU neighbours number of people. We’d like to training in the older per-
shows just how much we need see the Government increase it son’s home and to pro-
to improve.” over the next two budgets.” vide technical support
to the newly online.
l Support older people
on low incomes to ac-
cess the internet by in-
creasing the Telephone
Support Allowance to
€4 per week over the
next two budgets.
l Develop and roll out a
national digital skills
learning programme,
integrating it with
existing community
infrastructure, particu-
larly libraries and post
offices.
▲ Celebrating Dell’s support for the Getting Started programme.
6
AgeingMatters June 2018
Warning over housing supports
for older people
The Oireachtas Housing committee has “Part of making that reality is reversing the
been warned that housing grants for changes brought in four years ago that make it so
older people are underfunded and the much more difficult to get the grant and to provide
application process is ‘stressful and up- the funding that is needed.”
setting’.
For information on how to apply for one of these
The warning came during a recent meeting of the grants contact the information team on 01 475
committee where Age Action was represented by 6989 or email helpline@ageaction.ie.
our senior policy officer, Corona Joyce, and senior
information officer, Gerry Scully.
“Housing Adaptation Grants are used by many
older people to make their homes safer and more
comfortable,” said Corona Joyce. “They enable
people to install ramps, wet rooms, stairlifts and
other things necessary for some older people to
live with dignity.”
However, funding for the grant is now less than
half what it was in 2010 and the number of pay-
ments being made has also fallen sharply.
Changes introduced by the Government in 2014
made it much more difficult for people to make
use of the scheme. The size of the maximum grant
was reduced and the eligibility age was raised
from 60 to 66.
“These changes mean that the poorest of older
people now receive a reduced maximum grant
while being expected to pay for a greater percent-
age of the work,” Corona explained.
Complexity and delays
Callers to Age Action’s information line often
complain about the complexity of the application
process and the delays in being approved.
“This can be very stressful and upsetting as in
our experience most applications are made in
emergency and crisis situations,” said Gerry Scully.
Currently the Government prioritises people in
hospitals to get them discharged as quickly as
possible but this makes it harder for older people
in the community to have their care needs met.
“We need to facilitate community living, mitigate
preventable hospitalisations and, if deemed suita-
ble, provide an alternative to nursing homes admit-
▲ Many older people use the grants to install stair lifts.
tances for those already in hospital and awaiting
Photo: Manuel Faba Ortega
discharge,” Corona concluded.
7 June 2018 AgeingMatters Age Action meets Minister on 2012 pension cuts Representatives of Age Action, Active Retire- ment Ireland and the Irish Countrywomen’s Associa- tion met with Minster for Employment Affairs and Social Protection Regina Doherty TD last month as part of their continuing fight for a fair State Pen- sion. Since February of last year Age Action has been leading a coa- lition of trade unions and advo- cacy organisations highlighting ▲ Pensioners are still determined to fully reverse the 2012 cuts. the unjust treatment of around 50,000 pensioners who retired broken for reasons unrelated to an unexpected response and since 2012. providing care will see no benefit the campaign intends to pursue Because of changes intro- from the Minister’s plan and this meetings with other parties in duced to the pension system was the delegation’s priority. the coming weeks to build sup- in that year the pensions for port for full reversal. those older people were slashed Fairest and simplest There was some positive news because they were punished for “We’re still convinced the fairest from the Minister who made taking time out of the workforce, and simplest way to fix this prob- clear that the department was often to care for family mem- lem is to reverse the 2012 State determined to ensure the re- bers. Pension cuts,” said Age Action’s assessment for those who will In January, Minister Doherty Justin Moran. benefit from her plan will be as announced a proposed solution “It would ensure everyone straight-forward and painless as that would benefit most affected would get the pension they ex- possible. pensioners. pected and those who won’t ben- Some pensioners had ex- Under her plan pensioners efit from the proposals Minister pressed concerns to Age Action can be reassessed under a new Doherty brought forward would about having to find paperwork system that gives credit for time see their pensions increase.” from 30 years ago but it was spent caring and this should see Unfortunately, the Minister made clear that the department their pensions increase. again ruled out any possibili- will approach this in a positive But thousands of pensioners ty of reversing the 2012 cuts. way, taking pensioners on their whose contribution records are Though disappointing, it was not word.
8
AgeingMatters June 2018
New telephone allowance to be paid
this month
The Minister for Employment Affairs
and Social Protection Regina Doherty TD
has introduced a new payment, the Tele-
phone Support Allowance, which comes
into effect from 4 June.
The allowance is a support payment of €2.50 per
week aimed at people who live alone and receive
certain payments from the department.
“Age Action, amongst other representative
groups, highlighted the effects of the abolition of
the old telephone allowance,” said Minister Do-
herty.
“They pointed out that it made people, particu-
larly those living on their own, isolated and more
vulnerable. ▲ Minister Regina Doherty TD speaking at the social
“People value communications, particularly in inclusion forum in Dublin last month.
their older years. I was very conscious of that, and
that is why I was genuinely pleased to push for it l Sligo - State Pension (Contributory/Non-Con-
the Budget negotiations.” tributory) / Widow’s, Widower’s or Surviving Civil
Partner’s Contributory Pension / Blind Pension /
Prevent isolation Deserted Wife’s Benefit:
Worth €130 per year, the Department hopes it will Tel: (071) 915 7100
help to encourage social contact and prevent isola- Locall: 1890 500 000*
tion for those who live alone. * The rates charged for the use of 1890 (LoCall)
In May, the Department wrote to all customers numbers may vary among different service providers
who qualify for Telephone Support Allowance –
about 124,000 people – to let them know that they
would be receiving it shortly. There is no need to
apply. Those eligible will receive it automatically on List of qualifying schemes
top of their weekly payment. l State Pension (Contributory and Non-Con-
To qualify for Telephone Support Allowance, you tributory)
must already be in receipt of one of the schemes l Widow’s, Widower’s or Surviving Civil Part-
listed right, in addition to both the Living Alone ner’s Contributory Pension
Allowance and the Fuel Allowance. l Invalidity Pension
l Disability Allowance
For more information contact the department via l Blind Pension
the scheme which applies to you. l Disablement Pension (Incapacity Supple-
l Longford - Disability Allowance/Invalidity Pen- ment)
sion/Disablement Pension (Incapacity Supple- l Deserted Wife’s Benefit
ment)/Widow’s, Widower’s or Surviving Civil l Widow’s, Widower’s or Surviving Civil
Partner’s Contributory Pension under the Occu- Partner’s Contributory Pension under the
pational Injuries Scheme: Occupational Injuries Scheme.
Tel: (043) 334 0000
Locall: 1890 927 770
9 June 2018 AgeingMatters CE supervisors waiting 10 years for pensions Community employment supervisors represented by Fórsa are considering strike action in a 10-year dispute over pensions. The 1,250 workers affect- ed have no access to any occupational pension. A 2008 Labour Court recommen- dation, which ordered that an agreed pension scheme should be put in place for the staff, has never been either accepted or rejected by successive govern- ments. Almost 250 supervisors have retired with no occupational ▲ Fórsa’s Paddy Quinn at the union’s national conference in the INEC in pension since the 2008 Labour Killarney. Photo: Domnick Walsh Court recommendation was published. “Virtually uniquely in the public “But when we retire, we be- Last month, Fórsa’s community sector, CE supervisors have no come disadvantaged ourselves. employment supervisors’ branch occupational pension provision It’s scandalous that three suc- voted to reactivate an earlier bal- at all. cessive governments have failed lot for industrial action because to accept and act on a recom- the process had stalled again. Condemned by inaction mendation from the State’s high- “This course of action was “They provide crucial supports est industrial relations authority.” previously shelved while negoti- to long-term unemployed people Approximately 25,000 people ations appeared to hold out the and the communities they live currently benefit from communi- prospect of some progress,” said in, yet they are condemned by ty employment schemes, which Paddy Quinn, chair of Fórsa’s CE government inaction to eke out provide training and support to supervisors branch. a retirement living on the State participants, as well as commu- “The union raised this issue at Pension. nity services like crèches, meals the highest level during the Pub- Carmel Keogh is a CE supervi- on wheels, tidy towns support, lic Service Stability Agreement sor and a member of the trade and the upkeep of community negotiations last May. It is ten union. facilities. years since the problem was ad- “We spend our careers helping Age Action has run a very dressed by the Labour Court and disadvantaged and marginalised successful community employ- we will not continue to wait, year people to gain work in the local ment scheme for many years after year after year, for some community as a stepping stone and many of the organisation’s movement on this scandalous to regular employment,” she staff are employed through the situation. explained. programme.
10
AgeingMatters June 201811 June 2018 AgeingMatters
12
AgeingMatters June 2018
tion,
Dear Age Ac
st.
a n E C T s c a n on my che
r
aiting list fo h?
I am on a w a b ro a d o r in the Nort
is don e
Can I get th
Meath
Emily from
Seeking healthcare abroad
Any answer to this ques-
tion is a bit conditional
while we wait to see what
implications Brexit might
have on EU directives,
writes Gerry Scully.
Right now, however, you can go
abroad for this scan, including to
the North, under the Cross-Bor-
der Directive (CBD) if you are a
public patient.
You can also avail of treat-
ment through the private health
service of the country you are ▲ Volunteers and staff running a busy information stall. Photo: Joe Guilfoyle
traveling to for treatment.
The scope of treatment availa-
ble is limited to only what is avail- You must be referred for the TAS This helps people who become
able to a patient of the Irish public by an Irish based consultant in the ill while travelling in another EU
health service, other than organ public health service, unless it is or EEA country.
transplants and long-term care. an emergency, such as an organ It allows people to avail only
You should check with the transplant. The scheme covers of the public health service and
HSE prior to traveling. Under this the full cost of treatment including if there is a co-payment required
directive you will pay for your travel and accommodation. you will have to pay it but you
treatment upfront and then get However, the TAS only covers can get reimbursed when you
reimbursed. treatments available in another come home.
country that are offered under
Treatment Abroad Scheme their public health system. It For more information, or
If you need to go abroad for cannot be used to get private for assistance in getting
treatment which is not available treatment in a different country healthcare abroad, you can ring
in the public health service here, to Ireland. our Information Service on
you might be able to avail of the Finally, there is the European 01 475 6989 or email us at
Treatment Abroad Scheme (TAS). Health Insurance Card (EHIC). helpline@ageaction.ie.13
June 2018 AgeingMatters
◀ Members of the
Age Action Cork
Glór group.
New report calls for more housing
for older people
A new report says that the Government must do more to enable older people to par-
ticipate in policy decisions that affect them and suggests that new housing schemes
should set aside housing for older people.
The report was produced by Níamh Connery of “They can also be much more difficult to access
University College Cork through the CARL pro- for those who own their own homes and would like
gramme. The Community-Academic Research to move into a community like that.”
Links initiative brings together academics in UCC
with organisations like Age Action.
The idea for the research came from the local
Age Action Glór group. They have been highlight- Voices of older people
ing the lack of long-term planning for the housing
needs of older people and members participated “If you plan for the old, you include the young
in a focus group (see sidebar) run by Ms Connery and if you only plan for the young, you ex-
to provide the benefit of their experience on local clude the old.”
housing issues. “Downsizing means leaving an area that
“For the last 18 months our members in Cork you’re very familiar with where you have built
have been looking at housing issues for older peo- up a friendship and relationship with the
ple,” explained Age Action’s Corona Joyce. people around you.”
“The overwhelming majority of people, as this “From a health situation where you couldn’t
research shows again, want to stay at home for as manage on your own… none of us know
long as possible but others, who might be inter- what the future holds, we might have to even
ested in downsizing or may have to consider it for though we don’t choose to downsize
medical reasons encounter real problems.” “Everything should be on the flat, particu-
larly toilet facilities, walk-in shower and
Long waiting lists things like that, they’re all important to the
“There is a lack of appropriate housing for older older person really.”
people and there are long waiting lists for many
sheltered housing communities.14
AgeingMatters June 2018
▲ The Government must prioritise investing in homecare.
Politicians ignoring solutions to
the health crisis
An extraordinary aspect of the current capacity crisis in the health service is the
failure of the media and public attention to reflect on the causes and solutions for
the problem, writes Professor Des O’Neill.
This short attention span has fo- mission avoidance, the scope for The second option is to in-
cused on the final common path- this is limited, as most patients crease the size of the bath by
way of the problem, the crowded that I see on every post-take increasing hospital bed numbers,
emergency department, rather ward round (a review conducted which with the best will in the
than those elements causing it, every morning of patients admit- world takes time and money.
some of which could be resolved ted overnight) need admission. While planning for this should
in the short term. However, Tallaght Hospital, start immediately, in the interim
A helpful analogy for the trolley like many major hospitals, has the bath will continue to overflow.
crisis is that of a bath overflow- undertaken strenuous efforts
ing, and what measures might be to lower the flow, developing an Freezing of homecare
undertaken to stop it, apart from acute medical assessment unit, What is most disheartening is that
mopping the floor and wringing a chest pain service, engage- the obvious solution – removing
hands. ment with services to provide in- the bath plug – is off the table
The first is to turn off the tap, ie travenous medications at home, largely due to the effective freez-
the numbers of patients present- an integrated care team for older ing or severe rationing of home-
ing to the service. Known as ad- people, etc. care packages in some areas.15
June 2018 AgeingMatters
An additional factor is the fail-
ure to provide tailored dementia
care in nursing homes for those
with more complex needs.
In our own hospital more than
20 patients could be discharged
if their homecare package was
available, and multiplying this
number by the weeks or months
they are waiting is a clear major
contributory factor to the trolley
crisis.
This is made worse by a freeze
on new homecare packages to
those living at home in our and
other areas, not only causing suf-
fering but also potentially con-
tributing to hospital admissions.
That this outrageous situa-
tion (imagine if antibiotics or
cancer therapies were cut off in
this way) has not received due
attention seems to be due to ▲ Homecare is a major issue for Age Action members in Cork.
complex dysfunctional interac-
tions between the Government,
Department of Health, various had been made available in a ers must also become a prior-
sections of the HSE, and in the timely fashion in every communi- ity element to support stated
final analysis is also due to us ty health area. Government policy of prioritising
as well in terms of our signals A focus on normalising access care at home.
to our TDs as to how we should to homecare packages, a basic The media and general public
prioritise healthcare spending. building block of care, would need to redirect their ire, outrage
also afford an opportunity to and political energy about trolley
Older people who suffer review how homecare staff are crises away from the hospital
It is predominantly vulnerable funded and supported. In many and towards the key remediable
older people, and the many areas, there have been difficul- aspect of the situation: readi-
hundreds daily who end up on ties in recruitment to the private ly accessible and high-quality
trolleys, who suffer from the care agencies who generally homecare packages and more
freezing and restriction on home- provide the care. sophisticated nursing home
care packages. It would appear that a very high options for those with complex
So, the next time you or a fam- proportion of the HSE payment needs.
ily member suffers the distress is retained by the agencies, with
of being admitted to hospital care worker payments set at Professor Des O’Neill is a geriat-
on a trolley, or you hear debate around the minimum wage level ric consultant at Tallaght Hospi-
in the media or apologies about contrasting sharply with much tal. This is an abridged version
stays on a trolley, remember this higher rewards for the owners of of an article that first appeared
might well have been averted if such agencies. in the Irish Times and is repro-
homecare packages and tailored Developing better pay and duced with their kind permis-
nursing home care for dementia conditions for direct care work- sion.16
AgeingMatters June 2018
▲ Margaret Byrne won the overall award for her campaigning and her commitment to handicrafts. Photo: Marc O’Sullivan
Activist and craftperson is
our Silver Surfer 2018
Margaret Byrne from Tallaght, in Dub- from her hugely popular blog) is a crochet, knitting
lin, was the overall winner of the 2018 and jewellery making enthusiast who uses social
open eir Silver Surfer Awards. She was media to help keep hand craft skills alive.
presented with her award at eir’s Dublin
headquarters by well-known fashion de- Campaigning for others
signer, TV and radio personality Brendan On top of embracing technology to promote her
Courtney. chosen hobby, she actively campaigns for survi-
vors of mesh implant complications through the
In addition to winning the overall award Margaret online support group “Mesh Survivors Ireland”, of
also picked up The Hobbies on the Net award. which she is a co-founder.
Margaret (also known as “The Crafty Irish Girl” The group has grown to 250 survivors and has17
June 2018 AgeingMatters
provided help to those suffering through meetups
and support groups.
Margaret uses Facebook, Twitter and email to Full list of Silver Surfer
reach out to younger generations who represent
their older parents online, and who are sufferers Award winners
of mesh implant complications. Because of her
online campaigning, Minister Simon Harris has l The Getting Started IT Award went to Tom
agreed to carry out an investigation on the matter. Langan from Renmore, Galway.
l Gordon Lawson from Carrigtwohill in Cork
Truly inspirational people was the Golden IT winner.
“We are proud to celebrate some truly inspirational l The Community Champion Award was
people,” said John Church, CEO of Age Action. presented to David Rowe from Sandyford
“These Silver Surfers are challenging ageist ste- in Dublin.
reotypes that the internet, social media and new l Margaret Byrne from Tallaght in Dublin
technologies are only for young people.” was the winner of the Hobbies on the Net
“Today’s winners are a fantastic example of Award.
what can be achieved by embracing technology,” l From Ardee in Louth Mary Dunne was the
said Carolan Lennon, CEO of eir. “We are delighted winner of the IT Enthusiast Award.
to support an initiative that celebrates older people l Marie Hogan from Birdhill in Tipperary
and those who support them. was the winner of the IT Tutor of the Year
“The awards are a fantastic opportunity to shine Award.
a light on some of the remarkable ways that older l Dominican College Griffith Avenue, Dublin
people are taking advantage of the possibilities was presented with the Schools Tutor of
that connectivity offers. the Year Award.
“Our Silver Surfers are ambassadors for a digital l And the Corporate IT Tutor of the Year
landscape and reinforce our belief that everyone Award went to VW Ware from Cork.
should have access to a best in class broadband
and mobile network.”
▲ Pupils and teachers from Dominican College, Dublin, celebrate winning an award. Photo: Marc O’Sullivan18
AgeingMatters June 2018
Dublin Bus launches new
customer safety video
With almost 140 million
customers carried last year, it’s
no wonder that safety awareness
is high on the priority list for
Dublin Bus.
The company has just launched a new custom-
er awareness video to help all bus users travel
safely and understand the needs of fellow
customers.
▲ Safety is a top priority for Dublin Bus. Entitled Be Aware, Be Safe, it can be seen on
the company’s YouTube channel youtube.com/
dublinbusnews.
Dublin Bus carries 72 per cent of commuters
during peak hours on more than 1,020 buses
Child-minder
across the city and Greater Dublin Area.
Older people
needed
The video includes important messages for
older people and customers with mobility
needs. It highlights the features available on
each bus to ensure they have a safe journey
including accessibility ramps and the ability to
Looking for a child-minder for our lower the bus to make it easier to for them to
11-month baby. Three hours a day, board.
Monday-Friday, to look after from our “The safety of our customers has always
been and will remain a priority for Dublin Bus,”
home in Blackpitts, Dublin 8.
said James McHugh, Dublin Bus Environmen-
tal, Health & Safety Manager.
Flexible hours as I work for myself.
Mobile technology
Looking for someone, kind, friendly, with
“In an age where public transport users are
childcare experience and looking to build more reliant on the use of mobile technology
a bond with our daughter. Includes decent during their journeys, it’s easy to see how some
pay. can become distracted while travelling on the
bus.
For details please email: “We’ve created this video as a guide for our
customers to ensure their safe and comforta-
madeleine_blaine@hotmail.com. ble journeys.”19
June 2018 AgeingMatters
Free grocery delivery for Age Action members
Grocer.ie is an internet get the freshest products every stage to avail of free delivery.
only grocery store that single time. This service is currently only
offers a premium range Check out their website www. available in Dublin but there
of quality fresh foods grocer.ie to see their full range of are plans to deliver nationwide
alongside a wide range of products and special offers. soon.
everyday grocery items Please get in touch if you live
delivered direct to your Free delivery outside of Dublin and they will
doorstep – everything As a special offer to Age Action keep you up to date on their
members Grocer.ie is offering expansion nationwide.
from premium Irish
free delivery to all members and
T-Bone steaks to teabags!
will donate to Age Action for If you would like to know more
We use just-in-time production every purchase. please contact Grocer.ie at
for our fresh foods so that our Members should use the cou- jonathan@grocer.ie or check out
customers are guaranteed to pon code AA001 at the checkout their website www.grocer.ie.
q Monaghan U3A
U3Agroups Eamonn at (087) 918-6567
q Newcastle, Dublin 22
U3A, Retired Active
q Active Virginians U3A q Club 50, Donegal U3A Men’s Social
Patricia at (087) 235-0515 Anne at Annegallagher60@
Matt at (01) 458-9007
yahoo.ie
q An Cosán U3A Tallaght
Imelda at (01) 462-8488 q Roscommon U3A
q Dublin City U3A Sam at (01) 475-6989
John at (01) 201-7490
q Ballymun U3A
Peter at (087) 292-4001 q Rusheen Woods, Galway,
q Dun Laoghaire, Dalkey, U3A
Killiney U3A
Angela at rusheenwoodsu3a@
q Ballyroan U3A Email dldk@gmail.com
gmail.com
June at (01) 494-7030
q Maynooth U3A
q Blackrock U3A Helena at (01) 628-5128. q Sligo U3A
Eileen at (087) 418-8607 Kathleen at katemf@eircom.net
q Lucan U3A
q Blessington U3A Mary at lucanu3a@gmail. q Sutton-Baldoyle U3A
Peter at (087) 815-1018 com. Christine at (01) 832-3697
q Bray U3A q Tramore U3A
Linda at (086) 045-1600 Mollie at molliehunt@eircom.
For more information, email
net
Sam O’Brien-Olinger, U3A
q Carrick-on-Shannon U3A
Margaret at (086) 837-2934 Development Officer, at u3a@
q Waterford U3A
ageaction.ie or phone (01) Josephine at (051) 871-037
475-6989.20
AgeingMatters June 2018
We’ve moved – but
the shop’s staying!
Age Action staff in our Camden Street office
have now all moved to our Inchicore prem-
ises. This brings all of our teams in Dublin
under the one roof for the first time in years.
Our flagship Camden Street store will con-
tinue to operate from the ground floor offer-
ing top quality clothes, gifts and designer
wear at bargain prices.
As well as allowing Age Action to save
money on the rent of the Camden Street
premises bringing our Dublin staff into the
one office will enable our teams to work more
closely together.
Age Action’s new head office address is
▲ Our old home on Dublin’s Camden Street.
10 Grattan Crescent, Inchicore, Dublin 8.
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:��������������������������������������������������������
Please return to:
FEES Membership Development,
€20 Individual – retired/unwaged Age Action Ireland Ltd,
€40 Individual – employed 10 Grattan Crescent, Inchicore, Dublin 8.
€60 Voluntary Body Email: membership@ageaction.ie
€200 Statutory Agency Tel: (01) 475 6989
€500 Commercial Fax: (01) 475 6011You can also read
