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Case Studies: Monaghan<br />
This Coordinator then organised the first annual general meeting of the Monaghan Older<br />
People’s Forum in the Garage Theatre in Monaghan in September 2013. Over 100 people<br />
attended the event – many of them delighted with the opportunity to get together and keep<br />
up to date on what was happening in Monaghan. Members of the Executive Committee of<br />
the Older People’s Forum were elected at this event.<br />
Safety and security of older people was considered to be a key area to address by the <strong>Age</strong><br />
<strong>Friendly</strong> Alliance. Many older people were fearful of burglary even if statistically, they were<br />
less likely to be targeted than other age groups. However, this fear was in itself something<br />
that needed to be dealt with. As part of the Gardai’s Older Person’s Strategy, Crime<br />
Prevention Ambassadors (see interview with Sergeant Pat O’Connell below) committed<br />
to visit older people in their homes. PJ Harte, Chairman of the Older People’s Forum was<br />
one of those trained to become a Crime Prevention Ambassador. He says that the group<br />
has done about 100 visits to older people’s homes in the county. “I just cannot emphasise<br />
enough how much I enjoyed all my visits to my older neighbours. It was marvellous to chat<br />
and laugh and brighten another persons’ day, he says.<br />
Harte is also very pleased with the other developments in the county. These include<br />
new transport links to hospitals and the computer training for older people. “We have<br />
had a big uptake in our social media training in libraries. With the emigration of their<br />
children and grandchildren, many older people want to communicate through skype and<br />
facebook,” he says.<br />
Another aim of the <strong>Age</strong> <strong>Friendly</strong> programme is that older people’s voices are more<br />
prominent in debate and discussion about policies that impact on their lives. In Monaghan,<br />
the Community and Voluntary Forum has a representational nomination policy which<br />
encourages its members to join boards of significant organisations. This policy encouraged<br />
members of the Older People’s Forum to be nominated and voted onto the boards of<br />
the Joint Policing Committees, Monaghan Sports Partnership, Monaghan Integrated<br />
Development, the Baltibus Rural Transport programme and Comhairle na nOg. Simply being<br />
on the boards raises the profile of older people’s issues for each organisation.<br />
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