Louth highlighted in European Parliament as Nina Carberry champions age-friendly future
It comes as Louth's over-65 population surpasses 20,000 people
Midlands North-West MEP Nina Carberry this week hosted Age Friendly Ireland for a special conference in the European Parliament.
It comes as Louth's over-65 population surpasses 20,000 people, with the government expecting a nationwide increase of around 70% in this age group by 2040.
Carberry invited Rod Bond, Chair of Louth Age Friendly Alliance to the event alongside Catherine McGuigan, Chief Officer of Age Friendly Ireland and representatives from Meath County Council.
The conference focussed on how the European Parliament can take steps to support older people to live more independently, improve their social connections and continue to contribute to community life.
Carberry said that with ageing populations across the EU and in Ireland, policies related to transport, public spaces and housing must better support older people.
Speaking after the conference the MEP said:
“Today we heard from Age Friendly Ireland about their commitment to help older people age well, better integrate into their communities and improve accessibility.
“It really made me reflect that, here in Brussels, when we make new laws, we must be more conscious about how these will affect our elderly populations.
“We have to close the gap between how long we live and how long we live in good health.”
“From EU funded projects creating new public spaces with accessible paths, to age-friendly housing developments, we must be more aware of ageing communities when making public policy.”
“And it also goes beyond EU funded infrastructure projects, social connection is as equally important. That’s why I raised in Parliament several weeks ago, the possibility of making existing EU funding streams more accessible to Men’s and Women’s Sheds, which play such an important role in tackling isolation and loneliness.”
“I was delighted to have a Louth presence in Brussels this week - it’s really important that organisations like Age Friendly Ireland have a seat at the policy table in Brussels”, Carberry concluded.