Record-breaking amount of older Irish people requesting support

A NATIONAL charity, which cares for older people in Ireland, says it has interacted with the largest number of elderly people in its history.

The ALONE charity has published its annual report, which outlines that they had another year of growth in terms of elderly people availing of their services.

The highest number recorded in the charity’s 45-year history saw 22,300 older people contact them for ‘loneliness/social isolation’ support last year.

Figures show that 169,351 Support and Befriending calls were made to older people by ALONE in 2022, while 994 older people were given a Christmas dinner by the charity and its partners.

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CEO of the charity Seán Moynihan said: “ALONE is at the forefront of solving the problems of an ageing population, from combating loneliness, expanding housing options for older people and using technology to allow older people to age in place. 

“Ageing in Ireland has changed a lot since ALONE was first founded, and we only hope that policy makers become as adept at responding to our ageing population as we have been and will continue to be.”

Funded in part by the HSE and relying on volunteers and public donations, ALONE helps older people through its Support and Befriending Service, Support Coordination, Housing, Housing with Supports, Assistive Technology, Social Prescribing and Advocacy services.

ALONE encourages anyone to contact them if they wish to refer an older person or to get some support for themselves on the National Support & Referral line 0818 222 024.