Towards a strategy for older people in Ireland

This paper makes the case for the development of a new National Strategy for Older People in Ireland. The new Strategy should be holistic and focus on all aspects of older people's lives. New opportunities for older people to maximize their capabilities in economic, social and civic life should be created and supported. If these opportunities are to arise, ageist attitudes need to be confronted and defeated. Older people should be treated as individuals, their preferences respected and their autonomy guaranteed. The vulnerability of older people should be protected where warranted, particularly in respect to the regulation of long-stay care. But it is equally important not to stereotype all older people as vulnerable and constantly in need of intervention and support. That is not the reality and repeatedly caricaturing older people as dependent is ageist in itself. Older people have to capacity to contribute much more to society than we currently allow them, in relation to work, volunteering, wisdom and culture. This paper provides the framework for the emergence of a new Strategy which will facilitate a much more significant role for older people in Irish society.