Age Friendly

TIP:
Give yourself adequate time to read through well-written and organised
reports from the consultations (eg from Clare and Leitrim). This will save
you time in the long run as it will allow you to carefully bring together
all the significant comments garnered at the consultation under the
eight WHO Age Friendly themes. Some Age Friendly City or County
Coordinators employ a consultant or researcher to collate all the records
from the various consultations and place them appropriately into the
eight WHO Age Friendly themes.
County Clare Experience:The Age Friendly Coordinator in Clare, Michael Neylon
put together all the concerns people raised at the consultations into what he
called, the Consultation Outcome Report. He used the eight WHO themes to draw
together people’s comments and added very specific problems highlighted in
towns and villages of County Clare.
The County Clare document also included well chosen quotes from older people
which drive the message home very clearly. For example, in the section on
communication and information, one participant said, “mobile phones and personal
alarms are great for confidence” while another said, “Older people at home love the
radio. It is company and a great way to find out what’s happening.” In the section
on Respect and Social Inclusion, one participant neatly encapsulated an untapped
resource in the community when she remarked, “senior people with skills and craft
ideas should notify the schools and spend an hour a week teaching.” Another said,
“we need our own ‘hub’, a place we can call our own – a youth club for the ageing.”
These points may seem small at first but they tap directly into the aspects of daily
living that can enhance an older person’s overall quality of life. Older people in County
Clare also called for better transport links, more efforts to keep people in their own
homes for as long as possible and opportunities to socialise.
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