Reports
The Truth about Poverty in Northern Ireland July 2009
This is a research report commissioned by Age Concern Help the Aged NI and undertaken by Professor Eileen Evason, Dr. Katrina Lloyd and Patricia McKee.
The research explores the current methodology to measure poverty in Northern Ireland, and specifically looks at the impact of disability benefits being included in the income measurement without an appropriate adjustment at the equivalisation stage.
Using Family Resources Survey data, the report demonstrates that a large number of older people, particularly single female pensioners, move into poverty under the new methodology deployed as part of this research project. Whilst the focus of our research has been older people, it is clear that the outcome of this research has implications for anyone accessing disability benefits.
UK Domiciliary Care Sector
UKHCA is the professional association of homecare providers.
These headline statistics are aimed at researchers, management
consultants and organisations considering entry into the homecare sector.
The figures are a summary of the most recent analysis available and will
be revised as new data becomes available. More information can also be
found on the UKHCA website www.ukhca.co.uk.
The homecare sector suffers from a lack of routine data collection.
Often statistics do not reflect the number of people who pay for their care privately, as they are not counted in local authority returns.
In addition, information and analysis is sparser for
Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland than for England. Despite this, the
figures help to give a summary of how many people benefit from
homecare, who provides the care, and how it is paid for.
Ageing in an Inclusive Society
In March 2005 the Government launched, “Ageing in an Inclusive Society”: A Strategy for promoting the social inclusion of older people”.
This document sets out six strategic objectives of Government to promote the social inclusion of older people, including an action plan to achieve the objectives. It aims to tackle issues of financial and social exclusion, to deliver services which will improve the health and quality of life for older people, and ensure that they live safe and secure in their own homes and communities.
The strategy also recognises that to tackle the issues facing older
people an emphasis needs to be made on a partnership approach
with older people and organisations in the voluntary and
community sector representing their needs.
Together. Stronger. Safer: Community Safety in Northern Ireland. Consultation Paper.
This report focuses on 9 key areas,
- Car Crime
- Domestic Burglary
- Business and Retail Crime
- Offences against individuals, particularly Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault
- Youth Offending and Criminality
- Offences Motivated by Prejudice and Hatred
- Drug, Substance and Alcohol Abuse
- Anti-social Behaviour and Low Level Neighbourhood Disorder
- Fear of Crime amongst Older People, Vulnerable Adults, Victims and Children
Working with the local community and the police this paper hopes to be able to reduce low level crime and thus make older people especially feel safer in their homes and communities.
Everybody Online - working grassroots to close the digital divide
EverybodyOnline NI believes the direct and indirect use of digital technology and the internet can improve the way older people live their lives by promoting
independent living and reducing the risk of exclusion and feelings of loneliness.
Since 2006 EverybodyOnline NI has been working to help older people use digital technology by adopting a full circle approach. As well as increasing access to the internet among older people, they have shown people how to use it in a way relevant to them.
Older Person Advisor Course Research Report
Advice NI is working with Help the Aged Northern Ireland, Age Concern Northern Ireland and A2B to develop an Older Person Adviser Course (OPAC). The course will focus specifically on issues relating to older people and will be targeted at advisers and other groups who work with older people. The aim of the course is to equip participants with the knowledge and skills required to advise older people on a variety of issues. The project is funded by A2B. It is intended that the course will be developed and piloted by early 2010.
Making older people equal
The research for this report was commissioned by the Changing Ageing
Partnership towards the end of 2007. The aim of the research, which was
conducted between February 2008 and February 2009, was to examine the laws in a number of other jurisdictions to see how they protect people against
discrimination on the grounds of age when they are accessing goods, facilities or services. At the moment the law of Northern Ireland does not grant any such protection, except very indirectly.
The report concludes that there is a very strong case for amending the law of
Northern Ireland so as to outlaw discrimination on age grounds when people are accessing goods, facilities or services. The law should be designed so that it operates in a similar way to the current laws on discrimination whenever it occurs in this context on other grounds, such as gender or race.
Intergenerational Solidarity
Nearly every country in the EU is faced with the prospect of a population that is getting progressively older: birth rates are declining while life expectancy is rising. This demographic evolution will be accompanied by profound social changes: in terms of social protection, housing and employment, for example. However, the EU population’s gradual ageing process is also having a strong impact on conventional relationships between generations.
Attitudes to Age and Ageing
Older person’s strategy is part of government’s response to long-standing concerns about the rights and participation of older people. The strategy focuses on the need for older people to have choice and control, the need to strengthen Northern Ireland has been described as having ‘the most disjointed and limited approach to ageing issues’ in the UK by Trench and Jeffrey, 2007, p.24 who noted the degree to which responsibilities are spread across departments.
The 2008 NILT survey has yielded a great deal of useful data on the position of older people in our society, representation of The Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey last monitored attitudes to age and ageing five years ago in 2003. In the intervening period policy developments included the publication of a Strategy for Older People (OFMDFM, 2005), the introduction of the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations (Northern Ireland) in 2006 and, in November 2008, an Older Person’s advocate was appointed.
A Commissioner for Older People in Northern Ireland:
A Report and Recommendations from the Age Sector
The Report outlines the need for an Older People’s Commissioner, the role of this Commissioner and the role of the present Advocate.
Includes a summary of 30 recommendations for the new commissioner.
It also discusses the necessary powers and functions of the older people’s commissioner.