A new Centre for Ageing Research and Development in Ireland (CARDI) will be launched today by Minister for Older People, Marie Hoctor TD in Farmleigh House, Dublin.

The Centre has been established to help both stimulate further research in the area of ageing and ensure that relevant research findings are made more widely available, to better inform planning for an ageing population across the island of Ireland.

Professor Davis Coakley Co-Chair of CARDI and Professor of Medical Gerontology at Trinity College Dublin, said: “Changing population demographics mean that there is a need for more research in a wide variety of areas relating to older people, not just health and social care but engineering, technology, housing, transport, economics, planning, sociology and others.”

 “Unfortunately, the results of research do not always reach those who are involved in making policy decisions and CARDI has been established to bridge that gap where it exists”.

Dr Roger O’Sullivan, Director of CARDI said:  “What is unique about CARDI is that it focuses on bringing together the research community and relevant players from government, voluntary and community sector and older people themselves  so that those with skills and knowledge on ageing can focus on top research priorities. CARDI will both encourage researchers to focus on the issues at the heart of enabling our ageing population to live life to the full and give older people and those designing and developing services and facilities for them access to the latest research thinking.”

He added: “It is important to plan how we, our children and our grandchildren will experience life in older years so that the enormous potential of ageing in the 21st century may be fulfilled”.

This work has been made possible through funding by Atlantic Philanthropies, augmented by grants from the Department of Health and Children in Dublin and the Research and Development Office for Health and Social Care, Northern Ireland and hosting by the Institute of Public Health in Ireland.

Notes
CARDI is a not for profit organisation developed by leaders from the ageing field across Ireland (North and  South) including age  focused researchers, academics, statutory, voluntary and community sector.

Key Statistics
• 11% of the Irish population (467,900) persons were over 65 in 2006.  This has increased by 54,000 since the last decade.
• Population projections suggest that the old dependency ration (population aged over 65 as a proportion of the 16-64 age groups) may increase from 16% in 2006 to 25% in 2026 for Ireland.
• 20% of over 65’s in 2005 were at risk of poverty, this is a substantial decrease from 2004 at 27%, was mainly due to an increase in the old age pension.
• In 2006, 30% aged 65 and over indicated they had a disability compared to 9% of all persons.  The proportion of persons with a disability increased with age, rising rapidly from 19% for 65-69 age groups, to 59% for the 85 and over age group.

Contact
Dr Roger O'Sullivan
Director
Centre for Ageing Research and Development in Ireland (CARDI)
www.cardi.ie
Mobile No: 00353 86 822 1770