Our High Five: 2011 Election

Older people around Ireland took the following actions when campaigning for Our High 5 issues in advance of Election 2011. Download PDF version here.

Ultimately this action led to a meaningful response from all the political parties and led to ensuring Our High 5 priorities were on the agenda of all of the main political parties, so that when the new Fine Gael/Labour was formed many of our points were part of their Programme for Government.

Together with thousands of older people around the country Older & Bolder called for the following High 5 issues to be prioritised by political parties in advance of the 2011 General Election. Older people used this election toolkit and canvass card to frame their interaction with politicians.

A baseline statement on the urgent need to reshape the Irish health and social care system to more adequately meet the needs of older people. It also presents findings from Older and Bolder’s recent research on the health experiences of older people, illustrated by short case studies.

One for All. Age Friendly Health and Social Care: Principles and Experience (Download PDF 215 KB)

The Older & Bolder alliance has welcomed this afternoon’s announcement that Kathleen Lynch TD has been appointed at the Minister for Older People. 

The Older & Bolder alliance has welcomed this afternoon’s announcement that Kathleen Lynch TD has been appointed as the Minister for Older People. 

Older & Bolder is an alliance of eight non-governmental organisations in the ageing sector: Active Retirement Ireland, Age & Opportunity, Alzheimer Society of Ireland, Carers Association, Irish Hospice Foundation, Irish Senior Citizens Parliament, the Older Women’s Network and the Senior Help Line.

The Older & Bolder alliance has expressed deep concern this evening at the fact that no full Minister or Minister for State has been explicitly assigned responsibility for older people. 

Older & Bolder’s Director, Patricia Conboy, said that a Minister is needed to drive forward the strong agenda for older people contained in the Programme for Government.

The Older & Bolder alliance has expressed deep concern this evening at the fact that no full Minister or Minister for State has been explicitly assigned responsibility for older people. 

Alliance urges Government to rectify matter in coming days

The Older & Bolder alliance has expressed deep concern this evening at the fact that no full Minister or Minister for State has been explicitly assigned responsibility for older people. 

17 February 2011

Dear Patricia,

I am writing to you in response to your letter dated this month regarding your campaign.

You can be assured of the Socialist Party and United Left Alliance’s support for your five campaign objectives.

Regardless of the promises you will no doubt receive from the establishment parties of Fianna Fáil, Fine Gael and Labour the plain fact is that they are all wedded to the EU/IMF deal and the cut back agenda that goes with it. We do not anticipate that older people will be exempt from this.

Older & Bolder  highlighted five key issues, our HIGH FIVE, for older people in General Election 2011.  Our summary of the political parties’ proposals in relation to those key issues is set out below.  In terms of the implementation of any proposals by a new Government, the devil will be in the detail. Older & Bolder has identified some of the details that will, we believe, need to be tracked during and after the formation of the next Government.