Age Action calls for minister for older people to be appointed

Age Action is calling for a cabinet-level minister with responsibility for older people to be appointed in the next government.

The lobby and support group is also calling for pension reform and a right to community care services to ensure people can stay at home as long as possible. According to Age Action, more than half a million people over the age of 65 are eligible to vote in the forthcoming general election. The age group had a voter turnout level of 88 per cent in the 2011 election.

Setting out their “manifesto”, Age Action “warned” politicians that older voters would help decide the formation of the new government.

Justin Moran, head of advocacy with the group said the number of older voters would rise significantly to 1.5 million over the next 30 years.

Mr Moran said that “there has been a collective failure to prepare and plan for the changes in Irish society that are coming as our population grows older.

“The next government must think beyond the next five years, past preparing for the next election, and understand its responsibility to today’s older people and to all of us who hope to grow old in Ireland,” he said.

“Our message to these older voters is to join the 88 per cent, to speak up, cast your vote and make sure we can’t be ignored,” said Mr Moran.

He encouraged older voters to access a special election section of the Age Action website, which examines policies of the political parties and to email the main party leaders in support of Age Action’s manifesto.

Mr Moran said current supports and policies were already struggling to cope with the number of older people in Ireland.

“Our National Positive Ageing Strategy has sat on a shelf for two and a half years without an implementation plan. There is no one coordinating or driving policies to support positive ageing”, he said.