Laois County Council wins national award

LAOIS County Council were joint winners at this year’s National Age Friendly Recognition and Achievement Awards.

The council along with Offaly County Council and the HSE were the recipients of the Age Friendly Communication Award for the development and publication of a directory of Health and Social Care Services for Older People.

The winners provided information to access clear and concise information that effects an older person’s life, from health and wellbeing to social connectedness to financial security. A working group comprising of HSE, other statutory agencies, community and voluntary partners developed the directory with the aim of linking existing cross-sectoral community-based assets. Local consultation with older people informed the planning and this found loneliness to be a real problem in rural areas. The directory signposts opportunities for support, resources and ways to form better social connections.

The Age Friendly Communication Award was sponsored by An Post.

Chair of the National Network of Older People’s Councils Ita Healy said: “This annual celebration of projects really personifies what it means to be age friendly. The calibre of projects across the country is a true testament to how Ireland is embracing the Age Friendly Ireland vision. A huge congratulations to the winners and all the shortlisted projects who were truly the gold standard of innovative ideas to improve the quality of life for older adults in Ireland. I look forward to seeing how other groups replicate the projects in their own communities.” 

Chair of the Age Friendly Awards Selection Panel Peter Hynes said: “Choosing just a selection of winners from an exceptional list was no easy task. We visited each shortlisted project to establish if their work, which looked so fantastic on paper, lived up to expectations. Each one exceeded our expectations at every point.” For more information about this year’s awards and to learn about all the finalists, visit agefriendlyireland.ie.