Isolation blights lives of older people

Older Irish people on both sides of the border experience loneliness and isolation on a daily basis, according to a new all-island study.

The report from NUI Galway finds that while growing old in rural areas can be a positive experience, there are factors which may lead to social exclusion.

The study shows that public provision and related infrastructure is stronger in the North than in the Republic as a result of a higher population density, a more developed welfare state, and a greater emphasis on universal welfare provision.

The report was launched yesterday at NUI Galway by minister of state Kathleen Lynch and the North’s minister for agriculture and rural development, Michelle O’Neill.

One of the authors of the report, Professor Eamon O’Shea of NUI Galway’s Irish Centre for Social Gerontology, said: “We came across many older people living in what would appear to be difficult circumstances, but a sense of belonging and keeping connected in their communities helped to maintain their quality of life.”

Dr Roger O’Sullivan, director of the Centre for Ageing Research and Development in Ireland, said: “People who live in rural areas and experience exclusion are often invisible to society and this is particularly true for older people.”

The research involved island, remote, dispersed, village, and near-urban sites and also included focus group discussions and 106 face-to-face interviews with older people from 10 communities, north and south.