Home Truths

Some pertinent facts from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA), a large-scale, nationally representative study of people aged 50 and over in Ireland. More than 8,000 people participated in the first wave of TILDA interviews and first results were published in 2010.

• One in five older people aged 65 – 74 years do voluntary work at least once a week or more.
• Participation in leisure activities is associated with better mental and physical health.
• Older persons with poorer self-rated health are most likely to be socially isolated.
• People with impairments in activities of daily living (dressing, grooming etc) receive on average 118 hours of help per month.  The most common primary helper for this group is the recipient’s spouse, representing a contribution by older adults to the care of older adults.
• Of those with impairments in activities of daily living, 12 % do not receive formal or informal help and TILDA identifies this group as potentially a very vulnerable group.