New age-friendly strategy to focus on health, safety and mobility in Fingal
A new strategy will be introduced in Fingal to make the county more age-friendly over next five years.
The Age Friendly Strategy, introduced by Fingal County Council, will see more public seating, transport services to hospitals, and more age-friendly housing.
The council said the strategy was developed based on consultations with people over the age of 55 since last year, and takes into account safety, health, accessibility and mobility concerns.
“We need to design outdoor spaces with older people in mind because the difficulty in accessing services increases with age," said Naomi Weir, Community Development officer for the council.
“People were also concerned about their safety and security around their homes and in the streets. We’re working with An Garda Síochána to ensure this.”
Ms Weir added that the council will work with the HSE to offer transport services for elderly people to hospitals in the south Dublin area.
“It is vital that Fingal is strategically positioned to meet the challenges that are unique to older people across the county in a manner which is respectful to their choices,” she said.
Councillors said housing and safety were the most important areas to focus on, based on what they’ve heard from their constituents.
Sinn Féin councillor Angela Donnelly said more public lighting in the evenings was requested by older people.
“They’re very frightened of going out in the dark and they will not go to public areas if they’re not well lit,” she said.
“It’s not just the personal security aspect, it’s about being able to see where you walk.”
Green Party councillor David Healy said there was a need to focus on road safety when the strategy is in action.
“I’m a bit concerned about road safety after talking to older people. I think we need to be focusing on the infrastructure that we’re providing,” he said.
“It’s not just about accessibility in public spaces, it’s about safety in public spaces and the specific risks to older people when walking around, primarily from the traffic.
“We’ve been putting out road safety messages for many decades. If the messages aren’t working, then maybe the infrastructure needs to change and the way we manage the traffic needs to change.”
Cllr Healy also welcomed the policy on right-sizing, where older people are moved to a new house that suits their needs, or adapting their current home.
“This is about people having options. There’s a clear deficit of smaller, accessible homes in the county that would allow older residents to right-size within their own communities,” he said.
“With fewer affordable or appropriate properties available for purchase, this makes it harder to do – so we need to find ways to provide options.”
Fingal County Council mayor, Tom O’Leary, said older people living in private homes needed to taken into account in the council’s plans.
“There are people living in private homes who are not being catered for right now,” he said.
“It’s a serious concern that people are paying high property tax with low pensions and there are no options available for them.”
The council said that the strategy will be in action starting next year and will be reviewed annually.