Overview

Election 2011 took place during a period when the resources many older people depend on to stay living healthy and well were under severe pressure. We had a huge response from older activists around the country to our campaign, which resulted in real engagement with political parties, all of whom responded in a meaningful way to our campaign.

Read the political response to our campaign 

Ultimately this campaign succeeded in getting Our High 5 priorities 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. 

Our pre-election “Our High 5” campaign was framed as follows:  

This is a defining moment for Ireland. The recent banking collapse has not only wreaked havoc on our economy but has also revealed skewed priorities at the heart of our national decision making. We’ve bailed out the banks, cut incomes and vital services and increased taxes. The grim reality is that the proportion of our taxes paying for the national debt will increase from 8% in 2009 to 20% in 2014. And our systems of care and support aren’t meeting the needs of the most vulnerable, including older people on low fixed incomes.

The reasonable expectation that we can all grow older with a sense of security and dignity is being eroded: 

• Older people’s income security is taking a battering due to the decimation of private pension funds and the introduction of new taxes and charges like the Universal Social Charge and prescription charges.  
• Trust in decision makers and the ability to depend on vital services is being eroded by the deepening crisis in the health and social care system and price-hikes in private health insurance.
• Older people’s independence and ability to contribute is being diminished by cuts to community and voluntary programmes and gaps in local transport.

Many people are worried and angry. However, older people have shown that they can turn anxiety into action for positive change. In this spirit Older & Bolder has identified five age-friendly policy choices that will, if adopted, help us to rebuild systems of support, care and protection that value and respect the dignity of people of all ages. We're calling these our High Five.