Booker winner Margaret Atwood believes that older people have more energy. The data backs her up.

New research from Trinity College Dublin (TCD) shines a light on the full range of health and social benefits that owning a dog can bring.

Volunteering and socialising not only help to keep age-related illnesses at bay, they also increase your levels of happiness, says Margaret Jennings.

Denis Coughlan has played more games at Páirc Uí Chaoimh than he cares to remember, in both football and hurling.

Research has confirmed the link between depression and a lack of vitamin D, and it is vital to eat foods that contain it, finds Margaret Jennings

The lead researcher said they were surprised by the finding that ran contrary to claims made by some GPs.

Having a sea view in old age can lower the chances of getting depression, according to a new study.

Falls, traditionally associated with old age, are very much a feature of middle-age, particularly among women, new research has found.

An initiative to counter the disconnect in society is bringing people together to chat about what matters to them, writes

A cancer expert has warned the public to check whether their homes are in areas of high radon risk, after a new study found that living in such regions increases the risk of a lung cancer diagnosis.

Margaret Jennings says most of us are aware of the benefits of a good diet as we age, but physical activity and social engagement are crucial for wellbeing too.

Only a third of retired people say a shortage of money never prevents them from doing the things they would like to do.

Ireland’s so-called squeezed middle is getting older, with some people in their mid-50s and older providing financial assistance to their elderly parents, as well as their own children.

The country’s trolley crisis could be eased significantly if more hospitals opened five-day clinics and help prevent older people from falls, according to a researcher.

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

As many as 10% of diabetes cases among people aged 50 and over may be undiagnosed, according to the country’s top study on aging.

Private patients are losing out when it comes to being treated for high blood pressure — they are significantly less likely to be on medication to control it than those with medical cards, research has found.

YOU might imagine that giant chocolate bar would bring some much-needed comfort at the end of a long and stressful day. 

Older Irish people who drink fluoridated water are more likely to keep their teeth, a study shows.

Men who suffer sex abuse as a child are three times more likely to be unemployed in their later years because of sickness or disability, a study has revealed.

Men who suffered sexual abuse as a child are three times more likely to be unable to work in later life due to ill-health or disability.

Four out of five over-50s are overweight or obese, a study has shown.

Almost four out of five people aged 50 and older are overweight or obese.

Arlene Harris meets three people who are supplementing their daytime incomes by embarking on very different second careers at night.

They experienced large falls in wealth during the recession and expect to work well into their 60s, yet the over-50s remain essentially upbeat about their health and wellbeing, according to new research.

More than a third of over-50s in Ireland are obese, a major report on ageing has revealed.

More than a third of over-50s in Ireland are obese, a major new report on ageing has revealed.

A growing number of women in their 50s and 60s are being forced to provide financial and other supports to their parents, their children and grandchildren.

Having a tough childhood can affect your long-term health and even cause chronic illness in later life, according to research.

A GLANCE at Queen Elizabeth II’s itinerary in Ireland would make you marvel: planting trees, laying wreaths, touring two cities from breweries to colleges, meeting the GAA (not for the faint-hearted, least of all anyone who has no idea of what the GAA is all about), a State dinner, visits to three equine studs, a tour of the Rock of Cashel (marginally less taxing than the GAA but rock-climbing at any age is a challenge), a State banquet, chatting to Cork’s market traders before speeding off to have another chat with its scientists, chemists and physicists.

THEY may hope to have property and other possessions to pass on but a group of Ireland’s over-50s have already left possibly their most valuable legacy in a test tube.

AS more and more of us live longer it is prudent that we discover as much as we can about how our lives change as we age.

BLOOD samples are to be taken from up to 6,000 elderly people from this September as part of the country’s biggest study of ageing.

A STUDY launched yesterday will lift the lid on ageing in persons with an intellectual disability in Ireland for the first time.

Ireland’s ageing population poses significant long-term dangers for the country’s economy, a major labour conference heard today.

A major study was launched on ageing today as it emerged half of girls currently being born are expected to live to 100 and beyond.