A NEW Centre for Ageing Research and Development in Ireland (Cardi) was launched yesterday at a function in Dublin attended by Ministers from north and south.
The centre will co-ordinate research on the island of Ireland on issues affecting older people. These include housing, health services, transport and technology.
Prof Davis Coakley, professor of medical gerontology at Trinity College Dublin and a co-chair of Cardi, said the centre will not carry out the research but will encourage it by bringing researchers together from both sides of the Border. They will discuss issues affecting older people and plan research which could ultimately help improve their lives.
"The fact that we are working together will also put us in a stronger position to get research grants from Europe," he said.
Prof Coakley added it was already clear there were differences between older people North and South. "We have more people living alone in rural settings in the Republic and [the North] has more people living alone in urban areas," he added. "We need more in-depth information on these differences and hopefully, by doing more research, we will be able to see why, in the interests of improving the lives of all older people on the island," he said.
This was very important as the number of older people in the country was continuing to grow, he said. "This must be looked on as a positive development and must not be portrayed, as it constantly is, as a burden on society."
Minister of State at the Department of Health for Older People Máire Hoctor attended the launch, as did two Northern Ireland Assembly junior Ministers - Jeffrey Donaldson and Gerry Kelly. They paid tribute to the new centre for its commitment to improving the quality of life for older people.