Long-stay nursing care should only be a "last option" for older people, a seminar in Dublin has heard.
The Minister of State for Housing and Urban Renewal, Mr Noel Ahern, said there should be support for those who "wished to live in dignity and independence in their own community".
Mr Ahern opened the seminar on sheltered housing at the Chester Beatty Library in Dublin Castle, which was organised by Age Action Ireland in co-operation with the Abbeyfield Society, a voluntary body that provides such housing for older people.
Representatives of ageing and housing organisations will discuss the Abbeyfield model with a view to stimulating discussion on how sheltered housing might best be developed here in the future.
The minister said numerous studies had highlighted that older people prefer to live in their own homes rather than go to long-stay care. Sheltered housing was one of the most significant developments in the fostering of continued independent living among frail and vulnerable older people, he added.
There are around 1,000 Abbeyfield houses throughout the world catering for some 10,000 residents, including two in the Republic and 34 in Northern Ireland.
Abbeyfield houses bridge the gap between living in a private house and a care home, providing a secure setting and companionship for older people. Residents have their own studio apartment within the Abbeyfield complex, which also has a resident housekeeper. In one Co Dublin house, residents pay between €8,500 and €12,000 a year for the accommodation.
Mr Foster Murphy, chief executive of the Abbeyfield Society (UK) said older people wanted to be involved, they wanted independence, companionship, dignity, and a sense of security, and the
Abbeyfield Society housing system was one way to ensure this.
Mr Robin Webster, chief executive of Age Action Ireland, said social housing was a vital issue for policy and provision in an ageing society. Housing had not been given the attention or resources it deserved, he said. He called for the implementation of the recommendation of the National Economic and Social Forum that a National Housing Authority, similar to the one in Northern Ireland, be established.
Mr Webster said there also needed to be greater co-operation between different organisations and sectors in developing a positive ageing programme.