A GARDA WITH specific responsibility for older people is set to be appointed at each station in Dublin.
This comes as part of a new strategy that aims at making Dublin City a friendlier place for elderly people.
The strategy was launched at City Hall today by Dublin City Council and Age Friendly Ireland.
The new plan will also see the introduction of high-visibility Garda patrols into areas that have a higher population of older people.
New measures included in the plan also aim to make medical facilities more available to the older population in the county’s capital.
As part of the Dublin City Age Friendly Strategy, it is proposed that:
Today’s strategy launch featured Minister of State Kathleen Lynch TD and Lord Mayor of Dublin Christy Burke giving keynotes addresses.
Speaking about the new strategy, Minister of State Lynch, said:
I am heartened to see the high level of partnership involvement from the public, private, community and voluntary sectors in this initiative.A partnership that I know is being reflected in other countries and cities around Ireland… the Government is fully committed to supporting and encouraging all stakeholders in this journey.
Around the country 26 out of a total of 32 local authorities have signed up to to the Age Friendly Cities and Counties programme. This is a World Health Organisation initiative designed to make areas more habitable for older people.
The remaining six local authorities are expected to have signed up to age-friendly strategies by 2015.
Christy Burke, who also serves as the chair of Dublin’s Age Friendly Alliance, said:
This strategy is Dublin’s opportunity to value our older citizens and to learn from their life experience. The development of this strategy is indeed urgent and timely.It will focus on improving the quality of older people’s lives in Dublin over the next five years, creating an age friendly capital city to be proud of, for visitors and Dubliners alike.
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