The research paper, developed by the Healthy Ageing in Rural Communities (HARC) research network, examines the experiences of older people living in three rural areas: the Ards Peninsula in Down; the cross-border area of Blacklion / Belcoo in Cavan / Fermanagh; and Letterfrack in Galway. The event also saw the launch of findings from CARDI-funded research on rural transport led by Dr Aoife Ahern, University College Dublin. The papers were launched as part of a cross-border seminar on rural ageing, held in National University of Ireland, Galway on Thursday 9th and Friday 10th of December, which featured presentations from national and international experts on ageing and rural issues.

 

Speaking at the seminar, Dr. Roger O’Sullivan, Director of CARDI, said older people make up a significant part of the rural population of Ireland, North and South. “It is vital that older people’s voices are heard when making decisions on rural policy and services. Recognising the value of rural communities – and older people who live in them – will be especially important in the context of the difficult decisions about public spending that lie ahead.

 

“This CARDI-funded research into how older people in rural areas live their lives demonstrates a number of shortcomings in service provision. It also highlights the fact that many older people make a valuable contribution to their rural community through the provision of care and community involvement,” he said.

 

The main issues covered in the research papers included the following:

 

The Healthy Ageing in Rural Communities (HARC) paper outlines how a cross-section of older people, interviewed as part of the research, consistently reported insufficient health and social care services within their areas, and felt that the recession appeared to be having a greater impact on rural communities than in urban centres. 

 

Insufficient or inappropriate transport also emerged as a key concern for older people in rural areas: accessing services was identified as a core challenge since, for the most part, public transport only serves village centres and not surrounding rural areas. According to the report, inadequate transport systems also lead to a decrease in social activities and the potential for isolation and disconnection since – without transport – travel to family and friends was limited.

 

Most older people who were interviewed for the HARC research project said they had good support networks: not only did they receive contact and assistance from these networks, but many older people reported contributing to their local community through acts of volunteerism or informal caring activities, including babysitting or assisting more dependent relatives and neighbours. 

 

Dr. Kieran Walsh, Irish Centre for Social Gerontology (ICSG), who led the HARC project, said: “Both in Ireland and Northern Ireland, there is a lack of focus on ageing in rural places. There is sometimes a risk that rural communities can be perceived as stagnant places, with largely homogenous populations. The ‘Older People in Rural Communities’ paper demonstrates that rural places and older people are much more than that. Strong themes of attachment, contribution, diversity and community were evident in the research. In the case-study sites that we looked at, rural communities were not just landscapes within which people lived; instead they were places that can facilitate, challenge and enhance the lives of rural-dwelling older people.”

 

 

Michael Hughes, Chief Executive Officer of the Rural Community Network, said he was concerned that the current climate of cuts would compromise the lives of older people. “With community planning firmly back on the agenda in Northern Ireland through the local government reform process, it is essential that older people in rural areas are given a platform to raise their issues, concerns and their solutions to the delivery of vital services needed to ensure a high quality of life within their own homes and communities. Without such voices, those most vulnerable will be pushed further back in a service delivery carve-up.”

 

Also speaking at today’s conference was Seamus Boland, Chief Executive of Irish Rural Link, "The research presented at this event shows that services such as rural transport and funding for local community groups are a vital lifeline for older people: allowing them a greater independence and to participate more fully in their communities. These benefits contribute greatly to older people living longer and healthier lives in rural Ireland. It is important that such benefits be weighed carefully and the needs of older rural populations are not pushed to the margins when decisions are made regarding cuts and policy for rural areas."