Staying in touch with your grandchildren at Christmas has never been easier thanks to fast-evolving mobile technology, writes Margaret Jennings.

State workers staying in their job beyond 65 years of age will still have to pay contributions towards a pension, despite receiving the same weekly amount when they retire.

It will take “two to three years” before home care is regulated to protect vulnerable older people, an official from the Department of Health said yesterday.

A national campaign to help stamp out financial abuse of vulnerable adults gets under way today against a backdrop of a 44% rise in the number of alleged cases.

The Taoiseach has warned the banks to repay the thousands of people they wrongly took off tracker mortgages and apologise. However, Leo Varadkar said as far as he is concerned, the deadline for the repayment and apology was “yesterday”.

An 80-year-old widow who takes in a student lodger to help her feel more secure at home has accused the Government of putting pensioners on a waiting list.

The Government is being urged to tackle growing poverty levels among pensioners.

A weekly rise of €5 in State pensions; a reversal of cuts made in 2012; and an increase in home help hours are among the demands being made on behalf of older people by Age Action.

The push to increase the eligibility age for the state pension to 70 is gaining ground despite fears it will force older people into poverty if they can’t keep working the extra years.

Irish people could have to work until they are 70 to qualify for a state pension.

A manhunt has been launched for two men who broke into a pensioner's home in Co Louth after claiming to be gardaí.

Civil rights campaigners say they are seeking clarity around the mandatory use of the public services card as the Government confirmed it will be required to secure passports in future.

The Government is seeking ways to get elderly people to give up their empty nests and downsize, thereby helping to alleviate the housing crisis.

A new economic report suggests workers should be forced to wait an extra five years for their pension.

The Citizens’ Assembly is to tell the Government to abolish mandatory retirement ages, eliminate the time gap between retirement and eligibility for the old age pension, and to link that pension to average earnings.

There is concern that elderly people are being frightened by threats of fines for mixing up their recycling bins.

A report on nursing home charges published today says older people and their families are being stopped from accessing nursing homes under the Fair Deal scheme because of additional charges.

Additional charges imposed on older people and their families under the Fair Deal scheme stop some from accessing nursing home care.

The Citizens’ Assembly is meeting this weekend to discuss the second topic on its agenda - the challenges and opportunities of an ageing population.

The good thing about having an ageing population is that it could prompt us to reimagine the future, writes Clodagh Finn.

The Citizens’ Assembly is meeting this weekend to consider how best to respond to the challenges and opportunities of an ageing population.

A significant number of people have observed physical or emotional abuse in nursing homes.

A RED C poll for HIQA today revealed the problem is on the increase.

Latest: The elderly victim of an aggravated burglary in Co. Tipperary and his wife have been named locally.

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.

There are more 65-year-olds on Jobseeker's Benefit than at any other age, according to a leading charity.

Thousands of pensioners have been left out of pocket as a result of eligibility changes brought in by the last government.

It wasn’t quite a white Christmas but at least snow has arrived as a cold snap sweeps the country.

The Health Service Executive’s €14bn budget is unlikely to make any serious headway in alleviating difficulties in the health service, Fianna Fáil’s health spokesman Billy Kelleher claimed yesterday.

Age Action has called for the scrapping of mandatory retirement clauses which it said forced workers out of their jobs and facilitated ageism.

An 83-year-old former lecturer and human resources manager has said the modest payback he is being offered in Budget 2017 will go straight on his six grandchildren.

Deaf rights campaigners have pleaded for official recognition for Irish Sign Language to help prevent more tragedies such as the lonely deaths of brothers Daniel and William McCarthy.

Update: 6.05pm ALONE, the charity that supports older people to age at home, is urging older people who may be feeling lonely or isolated not to be afraid to ask for the help.

A new report shows acute hospitals and nursing homes are being prioritised over community care for the elderly, at around three times the cost.

The grandparents of a child removed from their home, after Tusla decided they were too old to provide adequate foster care said they only want justice.

The number of allegations of suspected or confirmed abuse of older people in nursing homes jumped by almost 20% last year.

Loneliness can have a significant impact on the physical and mental health of older people and is of increasing concern for public health, a new study shows.