Older People’s Council meets
OLDER people from right across County Wexford gathered at
The Riverside Park Hotel recently for the inaugural meeting of Wexford Older People’s Council, hosted by Wexford County Council under the Wexford Age Friendly Programme.
The idea behind the Older People’s Council is to ‘put the voice of older people at the centre of decision-making when it comes to matters that affect their everyday living’.
Elections were held on the day to elect a total of 14 representatives to sit on the executive committee.
These representatives will go on to represent the council at meetings including the Age Friendly Alliance, while also monitoring the progress of Wexford’s Age Friendly Strategy and Action Plan.
More than 60 people and representatives of older people’s groups from across the County attended the meeting at The Riverside where they heard presentations from CEO of Wexford County Council Tom Enright, Leas-Cathaoirleach of Wexford County Council Barbara Anne Murphy and Mary Deery, the Age Friendly Co-Ordinator from Louth County Council who were the first in Ireland to set up an Older Person’s Council.
Mr Enright thanked all those present for their interest. ‘Many of the factors that contribute to a good quality of life for older people are influenced at a local level, while the creation of communities in which ageing can be a positive experience is something that also happens at a local level,’ he said.
‘The establishment of an Older People’s Council here in County Wexford will give the older people within our communities a strong voice to influence local development.’
Cllr Murphy encouraged everyone to get involved and stated that the new council can make a huge difference to how amenities, services and other factors are delivered. She said that participation in the Older Person’s Council would ‘help create a County Wexford in which all citizens can be happy to grow old and live out their lives’.