"They found the lady inside and she was very ill. Thank God she is alive but if they hadn’t gone to the house what would have happened?”

Older couples ‘downsizing’ to smaller properties could free up housing stock, according to a report, although it warns of the risk of social isolation.

A giant fire-breathing dragon will wake from his year-long slumber tonight to terrify and thrill at a Halloween parade through Cork City.

Calls to the country’s only dedicated help line for older people increased again last year, with more than 30,000 phone calls received and almost the same number going unanswered because lines were busy.

One of the country’s largest helplines for the elderly logged a record amount of calls last year, with many of them relating to the security fears of pensioners in their own homes.

Both the opposition and elderly groups have accused the Government of “savagely targeting” pensioners and putting them at risk in their homes as they won’t be able to use life-saving pendant security alarms — now the telephone allowance is to be cut.

Gardaí are weeks away from approving measures to combat rural crime despite growing fears over a renewed spate of attacks on elderly people.

The Government has halved the budget for providing personal security alarms to the elderly, despite a spate of recent attacks on older people in their own homes.

A helpline for the elderly has experienced its busiest Christmas and New Year period since it was established, with pensioners expressing concern about issues such as finances and the emigration of children and grandchildren.

Older people are reporting an increase in family rows and bullying because of financial difficulties, it has emerged today.

The operators of a senior helpline say that Christmas can be one of the toughest times of the year for older people.