IRELAND will spend €15million researching how it can be a ‘great place to grow old’ as the number of people aged 65 and over is set to increase across the nation in years ahead.
In the next twenty years one in five people living in Ireland is expected to be over the age of 65, the Department of Health confirmed as it announced the investment.
Their €15million grant will fund data collection for The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) to support research on ageing well in Ireland.
Minister for Health Stephen Donnelly and Minister for Mental Health and Older People, Mary Butler confirmed that the Health Research Board (HRB) will manage the funding to progress the new rounds of data collection for TILDA up to 2030.
The funding will support TILDA’s work at Trinity College Dublin to collect information on health, economic and social circumstances of a representative group of adults, aged 50 years and over, between 2023 and 2030.
"In the next 20 years, an estimated one in five people will be over the age of 65,” Minister Donnelly said.
“While it is great that people are living longer, it is important to ensure that more of these years are spent in good health and that older persons can continue to live independently in their homes and communities for as long as possible. “
He added: “TILDA’s research activities focus on informing a whole-of-government approach to ageing and will help to make Ireland a great place to grow old.
"This new funding will enhance evidence to ensure that supports are directed to where they are needed most, in all areas that impact the experience of ageing in Ireland."
Minister Butler added that the funding will help “shape the care of older people in Ireland”.
"It will help us deliver on our commitment to an Age Friendly Ireland and shows how this government really values older people,” she added.
Chief Executive of the HRB, Dr Mairéad O’Driscoll, said the data collected by TILDA has a significant impact on the the creation of policy and effective practices in Ireland.
"Our rigorous review process demonstrated that TILDA is highly regarded by stakeholders nationally and internationally,” Ms O’Driscoll said.
“TILDA outputs are amongst the top 25 per cent most cited academic publications worldwide,” she explained.
“More importantly, there is clear evidence that TILDA has informed policy and practice across many areas such as nursing home responses to COVID-19, dental services coverage in rural areas and demand for home support services for people aged over 65 years.
“We look forward to seeing the impact of this next round of funding in years to come."
In the latest phase of the TILDA study the organisation will collect data on a nationally representative sample of people aged 45 and older in Ireland and examine factors that influence healthy ageing.
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