Aging Age-Friendly Communities & Policies
Making the Most of the Later Years
Republic of Ireland | 2007 - 2012
To help the Republic of Ireland better serve the needs of its fast-growing population of older adults, Atlantic made investments to support the development of age-friendly policies. This includes enabling older adults to:
- Have a real say in what happens in their own lives and what happens in the areas in which they live.
- Enjoy good quality of life, access to excellent services, and a secure and enabling environment.
- Be engaged and have opportunities to participate fully in everything that is going on in their cities and counties.
What We Learned From This Work
An idea that starts as a pilot can lead to lasting change if funders are willing to stick with it over a long period of time and allow opportunities for experimentation, growth and collaboration from within and outside the field.
When entering an emerging field, it is essential to work with and support executive-level leaders who are committed to the goals and can exercise authority needed to move an agenda forward.
To ensure the voices of older people are reflected in decisions about policies and services affecting them, funders must invest in baseline studies, underwrite training in effective advocacy and provide ongoing opportunities to shape the agenda.
New Approaches Emerge for Serving Older Adults
Here are some accomplishments from Atlantic’s grantees to promote age-friendly policies and communities:
Raising Voices for Change
Older and Bolder’s advocacy contributed to the designation of a Minister of State with responsibility for older people and a public commitment by government to develop a national strategy on aging.
Aging Policy Done Well
Created by Atlantic in 2007, the Ageing Well Network played a major role over six years advancing the development of age-friendly policies in the Republic of Ireland, including the country’s first National Positive Ageing Strategy.
Pitching in Together
A key Atlantic initiative, Age-Friendly Cities & Counties, voluntarily brought together local government, police, health care providers, businesses, community groups and older people themselves to develop age-friendly strategies.
Here’s Who’s Helping Write the Next Chapter in This Continuing Story
Age-Friendly Work Greeted Positively
Summaries of Case Studies, Evaluations & Reports
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Health and Wellbeing: Active Ageing for Older Adults in Ireland
Source: The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA)
Evidence from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing People aged 54 and older in Ireland continue to make substantial contributions to their families and the communities in which they live, according to the third report of results from The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA).…
Resource type: Research Report
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Republic of Ireland
This book tells the story of how The Atlantic Philanthropies’ 30 years of investments had an extraordinary impact on the Republic of Ireland—from helping breathe life into the nation’s university system and its research capabilities, to supporting major advances in human rights, and spurring the…
Resource type: Insight
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Promoting Civic Engagement in Later Life Through the Touchstone Programme
Source: Irish Centre for Social Gerontology, NUI Galway
Touchstone is a program of the Active Ageing Partnership of Ireland, developed in partnership with the Irish Centre for Social Gerontology at NUI Galway, designed to expand opportunities for older adults to become more engaged in their communities. This publication summarizes results of the program, including what was learned about what influences…
Resource type: Research Report
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Ageing Well Network: A Case Study of an Irish Success Story in the Field of Ageing
Source: Susan Parker
In the mid-2000s, the ageing field in the Republic of Ireland was weak and fragmented—at a time when the country was facing a dramatic increase in the number of older people in the coming years. The Ageing Well Network, formed in 2007, filled a considerable…
Resource type: Research Report
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The New Agenda on Ageing: To Make Ireland the Best Country to Grow Old In
Source: Ageing Well Network
The Irish government has committed to introducing a National Positive Ageing Strategy, but what exactly is the nature of the problem we are trying to solve?Firstly, the quality of life of too many of our older people is poor. This report from the Ageing Well…
Resource type: Research Report
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