Age Friendly

most. Encouraging joined up thinking between
agencies can deliver innovative solutions that
work for everyone. For example, the Health
Route to Beaumont Hospital was developed as
a response to the need for older people to get
to hospital appointments. The HSE and a local
transport provider teamed up to fund a bus
route and timetable that suited the older people
best. Similarly, a group of older people from the
Older People’s Council in a number of counties
volunteered to become Crime Prevention
Ambassadors. They were subsequently trained
by the Gardai to visit older people in rural areas
who needed reassurance and advice on staying
safe in their homes. (See case histories at the
end of this handbook for more examples of
what cross sector collaboration has delivered in
some counties).
Some counties such as Louth have developed
active working groups on transport, housing
and communications. The key is to choose a
chairperson who is passionate about reaching
the goals of the working group. The Louth
Age Friendly County Transport Group is an
example of a working group focussed on
achieving very practical goals.
The aim of the Louth Age Friendly Transport
Group is “To strengthen existing and develop
new local transport networks/services for the
benefit of older people, as a result to make local
communities more inclusive using existing
public and private transport operators.”
Andy Cullen, recently retired Assistant Secretary
in the Department of Transport, is the Chair
of the Transport Working Group in County
Louth. He works with all the different transport
providers in County Louth to see whether
routes can be changed to accommodate the
needs of older people in the county. “We need
to have better use of existing funds so that
older people’s voices are heard when routes are
worked out. There is no shortage of transport
capacity, local cars and mini buses, it’s more
about mobilising them. It’s about finding ways
for people to get to the post office to pick up
their pension or go to watch a GAA match. I’m
still as excited about this work four years after
joining the Age Friendly county programme.”
Andy Cullen is also Chair of a regional
transport group. He believes the county has
the transport capacity to meet the needs of
the people but it’s just a question of getting
the services/volunteers to the right people
at the right time. “We are not reforming Irish
society from the top down. It’s a bottom
up approach within County Louth. The key
questions are; Can we make a difference to
people’s lives at a local community level? Can
we meet the transport needs of older people in
County Louth? Recent changes in the National
Transport Authority of Ireland has prompted
Cullen to push for representatives from
Louth Age Friendly Alliance on new regional
committees which will develop routes to
hospitals, day centres, town centres, etc.
* There are terms of reference for a Thematic
Working Group included in the Appendix for
Chapter 4
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