Meath Age Friendly held an Older Persons event in the Ardboyne Hotel, Navan which saw over 120 older persons in attendance with many individuals as well as those representing Active Retirement and Men Shed groups.
Host and MC for the event was Áine Bird, Meath Age Friendly programme manager, who was delighted with the turn out and with the opportunity once again to meet in person. Several key speakers addressed the audience on the day including Ita Healy, Chairperson of the Meath Older Persons Council, Danielle Timmons, Dementia Adviser, Elaine Byrne, Solicitor, Sgt. Paddy Smyth, Crime Prevention Officer and Peter Murray, Security Consultant.
The purpose of the event was to help build awareness of the Age Friendly programme and the benefits of becoming involved in the Older Persons Council. Although an ageing population brings some societal challenges, the Age Friendly Programme emphasises the value of our older community, and the contribution older people make to wider society, through their knowledge, life experience, volunteering and economic participation.
Cathaoirleach Cllr. Nick Killian opened the event and thanked everyone for attending, saying, “the Age Friendly programme is a National Programme which is supported by Government. Older People’s Councils are a core part of the implementation infrastructure of the Age Friendly programme, and they are one of the reasons why the programme has been so successful across the country. It is necessary to listen to citizens. Older People’s Councils are an important mechanism to bring the voice of the older citizen to the decision-making table of the Meath Age Friendly committee, where older people’s representatives sit as equal partners with other sector/agency managers.”
Concluding the Cathaoirleach thanked those in attendance for the work being done, stating, “I would like to thank all members of Older People’s groups, for your tireless work in putting systems and processes in place to support the ageing population. Age Friendly means age friendly across the lifecourse, so the actions you are delivering through your local groups benefit everyone in the community from young to old. As our society develops and people are living longer, we need to ensure our county is a great place to grow old in too. People’s health and wellbeing is affected significantly by the environment in which they live in, be it the housing, amenities, transport, economy or public services.”
Source: Meath County Council
