‘We must prepare for an ageing population’

IRELAND needs to start preparing itself for an ageing population.

The census figures for 2006 published yesterday showed that at 467,926, 11% of the population were over 65. One-in-three people were over 45 years.

The census figures create an age profile of the younger generations which shows the average number of elderly is going to continue to rise steadily, and will hit a peak in 40 years’ time.