Fianna Fáil Senator and Seanad Group Leader, Catherine Ardagh has supported calls made by ALONE for people to check in on older people over the festive period.

ALONE is a charity that supports older people to age at home. The organisation has highlighted that many older people can feel isolated at Christmas time.

“Christmas can be a difficult time for many older people, and loneliness is one of the main issues that they face. Many older people think that by asking for help and support they are bothering people. Therefore it is so important that each and every one of us makes an extra effort to connect with older people in our community over the Christmas period.

“Many services that older people rely on, such as postal services, banking facilities and medical supports, are curtailed over the Christmas holidays. We all need to make the extra effort to check in on their neighbours, friends and family to make sure they have all they need to enjoy the Christmas holiday,” added Senator Ardagh.

“There are a number of ways that the public can help older people this Christmas and I encourage the public to call in to older people to say hello. It’s important that we make sure they have enough food, medication and comfort so that they can have a happy Christmas. It’s especially important that we make sure their houses are adequately heated as we are now approaching the height of the winter season.

“Social contact makes a huge difference to the lives of older people. Let’s all make the extra effort this Christmas to extend the warm hand of friendship to older people living in our communities.”

-ENDS-

Note: For those who have concerns about their own wellbeing, or the wellbeing of an older person in their community, ALONE can be contacted on 01-6791032.

- Just 16% of women receive full state pension -

Fianna Fáil Senator and Seanad Spokesperson for Social Protection has said that women are getting a raw deal under the current pensions system. Because many women take time out of their working lives to have children or care for loved ones they lose important credit contributions and fail to meet the threshold for the full State pension.

Speaking during this week’s Seanad debate on the Social Welfare Bill 2016, Senator Ardagh said, “This is a real and present inequality in Ireland. Lip service is given to this issue in committees, the Dáil and the Seanad but nothing has been done to remove this disparity.

“The current system structure has become a real problem and is creating substantial financial hardship for women nationwide. It is deeply unfair to penalise women who have taken time out of the workplace to raise children or care for family. We need to see the current antiquated system reviewed.

“A 2012 study by the European Institute for Gender Equality found that the pension pay gap between men and women amounted to almost €700 a month.  In fact only 16% of women receive the full State pension, and changes to the contributory thresholds, which determine how much people receive, have made the situation for women worse.

“As a result of these changes, the number of paid contributions needed to qualify for a State pension increased from 260 to 520. This effectively makes it more difficult for those without a full-time, long-term working history to qualify for the maximum weekly payment and it penalises women who took career breaks to have children.

“We must move towards a universal pension system which gives women and men equal access to a comprehensive pension guarantee and which provides a decent standard of living for all. I have tabled a number of amendments to the bill which I hope will effectively address this issue.

“The current State pension scheme must be reviewed and replaced with a system which ends discrimination against women”.

-ENDS-