You’re never too old

Helen Callan

By Helen Callan

From Townspark, Navan, Co. Meath, Helen Callan, who is now in her 50s, volunteers with young people at risk of drug addiction. She was 40 when she returned to school and she wrote this article “to encourage some of your readers to bite the bullet themselves”. It’s most apt as we celebrate the European Year for Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations:

Intergenerational work challenges old (and young) stereotypes

Lynda Wakefield pictured with Intergenerational project participent Sean Daly

By Conor Hogan

“Young people and older people,” community worker Lynda Wakefield says, “are probably the two most discriminated-against demographics in society. They are also probably the most discriminating in terms of ageism.”

She notes that while it is normal for to have youth centres and retirement homes, common areas where they both can mix are a rarer thing altogether. “We don’t make it easy for the two to mix,” she says, “so when we do, we need to make it meaningful.”

EU Year of Active Ageing - Somebody Really Should Do Something!

By Marie Louise Byrne

2012 is the EU Year of Active Ageing and Solidarity between Generations – a somewhat wordy title which aims to raise awareness of the fact that we are living longer and staying healthier than ever before – and to realise the opportunities that represents.

Population projections indicate that by 2030 one in five people living in Ireland will be 65 years or older. With active citizenship and inclusion at the core of his inaugural speech, President Michael D. Higgins will launch the EU Year at a ceremony in Dublin Castle on February 9th, he will be joined by Minister Kathleen Lynch, Minister of State for Disability, Equality, Mental Health & Older People and also by Minister for Children and Youth Affairs, Frances Fitzgearld.