6.17 Positive Aging

Closed22 Dec, 2020, 9:00am - 12 Mar, 2021, 5:00pm

6.17 Positive Ageing

According to the Department of Health, by the year 2036 the number of older people aged 65 and older living in Ireland is expected to increase by 250% over 2016 figures.  For County Kilkenny this would mean that the older population of 11,690 in 2011 will increase to 29,225 in 20 years’ time.  Kilkenny County Council has been actively engaged in the Age Friendly County Initiative since 2010.  Kilkenny was the second County in Ireland to become an Age Friendly County.  The concept of an Age Friendly Community is linked to an initiative of the World Health Organisation started in 2007.  The Age-Friendly County initiative seeks to engage older people and their communities in making their communities better, healthier and safer places for older people to live and thrive.  Positive ageing can be facilitated by means of various age friendly initiatives, including universal design and can be supported by the adoption of the appropriate development objectives. (See Objective under 6.10 Housing Development above, and see Section 12.13 Age Friendly and Accessible parking.) The delivery of such facilities has a symbiotic relationship with other segments of society as it promotes accessibility for all.

St. Luke’s Hospital in Kilkenny implemented a programme of measures to enable older patients and visitors to enjoy an improved hospital experience during the period of the last Plan, and it is now designated as an Age-Friendly Hospital.  An Age Friendly Hospital is one in which older people are actively involved in the design of an environment that is friendly and accessible to all. 

During the course of the 2014 -2020 Development Plan the concept of positive ageing was brought to the level of the Age Friendly Town.

 

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