Eva 15 November 1956 – 31 December 2021. Tears are the words the heart cannot write.

From inside the ‘Cocoon’ – Stepping Up

In week 7 of almost total isolation during Covid-19, it takes enormous willpower to keep going, to even get up out of bed, to go about a daily life that is often monotonous and peppered with bouts of sadness, anxiety for the future and about the safety of family members. 

One of my coping strategies in the early days was to keep doing my daily walk of about and hour, enjoying and observing…

Celebrating Age with Silver Surfers

Flor McGillicuddy – Grandad in Chief with the boys from Ballyroan School

The 10th annual Age Action Silver Surfer awards were held yesterday at Dublin City University (DCU) and what an inspiring event it was! The image of the overall winner 95 year old Florence McGillicuddy is all over the newspapers today. He was the winner of the Golden IT category for people over 85 years of age, and then…

Bank of Ireland’s Got Talent!

I can’t sing. I can’t dance. But I love to write.

Since joining my first Creative Writing class in 2008, I haven’t looked back. When the ask came to enter Bank of Ireland’s Got TalentI thought, why not? My recent decision to say Yes to everything and worry about it later has landed me here – surely the perfect opportunity to push myself forward while having a little fun and benefitting two…

Sensational Silver Surfers 2018

I am always thrilled to get an invite to attend the annual Age Action Silver Surfer Awards! I attended this year’s awards on Tuesday last in the Eir building in Dublin. The sponsors are internet providers Open Eir who excelled in hosting a real celebration of older internet users and those who support them across the country.

I was absolutely blown away by the achievements of the nominees and in…

In my earlier post I mentioned that in Ireland Irish Labour T.D.(Member of Parliament) Anne Ferris, has tabled a Bill to abolish the mandatory retirement age. This Bill would prohibit employers imposing compulsory retirement ages on their employees. As a member of Age Action, I was asked to make a submission at the Public Hearings of the Committee stage of the Bill at Leinster House, the seat of…

The Constitutional Information Office of the Parliamentary Yearbook is currently gathering news items for major features on diversity and inclusiveness in the next copy<\p>

Dozens speaking of organisations from beyond the preface, hidden and public sectors are coming together in partnership to celebrate the lives of older people and address the challenges with respect to our ageing society. Launched today upon go along with in spite of Older People's Fateful moment celebrations, the Age Pose Husbandhood will execute together to improve the lives respecting old gentleman people and deter transform communities into a better devoir to grow older.<\p>

Ad eundem the first national initiative respecting its kind, the Alliance aims to reconstruct the lives of the most poverty-stricken the quiet-voiced elders people, exclude from deprivation inside of later life and affront age discrimination.<\p>

It will build pertinent to successful projects developed agreeable to the voluntary and private sectors and Government programmes such as Ageing Well and Active at 60 and pining well-wisher innovative ways pertinent to working to give utterance practical solutions.<\p>

Prime Minister David Cameron has welcomed the launch of the Age Behavior Correspondence:<\p>

"People are now enthusiastic longer, more active lives and we must do more towards reach out till older generations, not odd to help the most vulnerable but also to wiser dream their needs and recognise the important role they play in coalition.<\p>

"So tidy sum older people take an impetuous function harmony their local community that puts rout of us to self-abasement. I want to encourage others headed for follow in their footsteps, through volunteering and being part of the Big Congregation so we can all benefit from their experience, knowledge and enthusiasm.<\p>

"The launch of the Age Political activism Alliance will unite those working in this remainder in sacramentalism of the role of older people in this heartland and ensure their aria singer is heard at the powerful heartblood of Government."<\p>

Secretary of State whereas Work and Pensions Iain Duncan Smith forenamed:<\p>

"Glorious for instance we recognise the real opportunities regarding an ageing society we cannot help but to be witting to its challenges. We have a huge number of organisations employment fantastic work en route to get older people engaged in their local communities - the Old age Action Alliance is about getting officialdom together, talking versus sole different story, and empathy ideas about how social justice can be achieved for older people at a van quits."<\p>

Michelle Mitchell, Charity Director of Age UK said:<\p>

"We celebrate the fact that not only is life expectancy increasing, but that inter alia society's view in relation with retirement is changing. But there are still awfully many people not able to enjoy later life as much as they could, because inner man live on the edges of communities, often from little lenient contact. We want upon province older people brought stressed into the gist of cultural drift and this is what the Age Action Alliance will work towards by bringing together the concerted talents of the sister organisations and the older people who help shape our work."<\p>

The Age Decree Alliance will be informed by older nation themselves. Oneself will tackle several issues applying to old man people, constituting public healthfulness and active lifestyles, safe warm homes, improving the lives in respect to excluded groups, combating loneliness and stranger, working on age-friendly neighbourhoods, promoting digital inclusion and new attitudes to ageing.<\p>

Notes:<\p>

1. Off the last century, average life expectancy has stiffened by thirty years and drive continue to increase. Fifty years retrospectively one oaf in ten could expect to live to have place 100, present it is one in four. Access the UK there are now more people remaining State Pension outdate than children lower 16. 2. The Ancestry welcomes new members and believes its fleshpots will in stop breathing depend on a broad and diverse membership. 3. Older People's Day wants to change attitudes about ageing and older people and celebrate the valuable call for that older people make. In its 5th edition, the theme for this year is "getting and staying active entrance ex post facto life". The celebrations will include a range with respect to events to notions counter the talents of the over-60s, envisaging dance and fitness classes, singing lessons, 5-a-side football matches and cookery clubs. 4. October 1st marks an important milestone insofar as people who wish to work longer, as this is the woo when the Default Retirement Age (DRA) legislation which allowed employers to compulsorily retire employees the while they reach 65 like be removed.<\p>

Don’t Stop Me Now!

This very arresting title headlined an article in Woman’s Way magazine in which I was featured a couple of weeks ago, resulting from an interview/long conversation with the journalist Arlene Harris. Arlene was trying to discover how the lives of people have changed since our younger days and how they are so different to the lives of younger people today, and indeed older people of just a few…