Ireland - no country for old men

Cavehill Red

According to this Global Agewatch study, Ireland is the 12th best place in the world to be old in. Yay!
Oh, wait a minute. That's apparently because we have the 3rd best 'enabling environment'. (IE we still involve old people in society.)
We're 24th for income security (even AFTER beggaring the younger generation to secure their free travel, pensions and homes), 14th for healthcare (despite all the free medical cards), and a pitiful 32nd for employment and education.
Is Ireland a good place to grow old in? Will it still be a good place to grow old in after we've paid off all those bank debts and had a few decades of austerity? Do you want to grow old in Ireland? Will you?
Personally, I think it's no country for old men. I'll be heading soon enough. The Scandinavian countries are looking good in this study, but they always do when it comes to quality of life surveys. I imagine they must be like Rivendell at this point.

WilyCoyote

Have lived in three countries (other than Ireland) for 7 years or more and a few others for 3 years or more. I can honestly say that Ireland is the best to grow old in. I've taken in to account the tanking of the economy .......... it has happened almost everywhere ........ and the sociological changes over the years. The weather could be better but .........

Cavehill Red

I see a lot of old people suffering badly. And that's despite successive governments effectively ring-fencing them from the full effects of the downturn because they vote in greater numbers than the rest of society.
As far as I can see, the only way is down for the elderly in Ireland. I don't see it getting any better certainly, and I don't want to think how bad it might be by the time I'm in that age bracket.

donvito99

And the worst place in the world to be young in... baddumtish

WilyCoyote

Cavehill Red wrote: »

I see a lot of old people suffering badly. And that's despite successive governments effectively ring-fencing them from the full effects of the downturn because they vote in greater numbers than the rest of society.
As far as I can see, the only way is down for the elderly in Ireland. I don't see it getting any better certainly, and I don't want to think how bad it might be by the time I'm in that age bracket.

Can you elaborate a little? Or give an example?

Cavehill Red

Eventually, the government are going to have to cut some of the benefits and entitlements old people currently get. They might leave the pension alone and let inflation erode it. But things are only going to get worse for them, especially as more people are living longer here and more of them are in a much worse financial position following the economic collapse and with no working life left to build up a nest egg.
And as that survey shows, woe betide anyone who loses their job in their 50s. They won't get another.
That's not to mention the dozens of old people languishing on trolleys awaiting hospital treatment either, often stranded in hospital A+Es for days on end while drunks and junkies shout and roar around them, as this excellent recent article pointed out.
Old people being mugged and burgled is up stratospherically, as they are easy targets for scumbags.
I could go on and on, but perhaps the easier way to do this would be for me to ask you for any examples of how things are getting better for the elderly in this country going forward? I suspect that's not a lengthy list.

maninasia

Ireland is generally a very good place for the elderly, they don't get looked after like that in 95% other countries including many Western ones like the UK and Germany.

The healthcare system isn't good but they still get it better than most of the rest of the population, that is to say it is a general problem in Ireland which of course then does affect the elderly who rely on healthcare, luckily they are not bankrupted for it usually.

As for will it get better or worse, generally worse I imagine due to financial demands on the system.

No Pants

Cavehill Red wrote: »

32nd for employment and education.

Fair enough point about employment, but I don't understand the bit about education.

keeponhurling

donvito99 wrote: »

And the worst place in the world to be young in... baddumtish

Well of course, great country for old people, not great for the young who have to either take up their debt or emmigrate!

Pensions, free travel etc. is untouchable in Ireland.

Zen65

No Pants wrote: »

Fair enough point about employment, but I don't understand the bit about education.

There's an irony!

No Pants

Zen65 wrote: »

There's an irony!

:P

I suppose it is.

I would consider education to be available to everyone in Ireland at any time. Maybe not for free, but it's available. Of course, education is a very broad term. If anyone is able to focus the point somewhat, I'd welcome it.

gobnaitolunacy

It depends.... whether you're growing old in a town where everything is nearby and you have access to public transport or if you're stuck in rural Ireland maybe without transport and esp. on one's own.

Duff

donvito99 wrote: »

And the worst place in the world to be young in... baddumtish

Where's that?

muck_raker

gobnaitolunacy wrote: »

It depends.... whether you're growing old in a town where everything is nearby and you have access to public transport or if you're stuck in rural Ireland maybe without transport and esp. on one's own.

that's another argument and one which isn't limited to the elderly , the old in rural Ireland receive the exact same benefits as their counterparts in the city , lack of transport in the country effects everyone

personally im surprised we don't rate higher , the elderly in Ireland are incredibly well looked after yet ironically the received wisdom is that they are all the time suffering , that's an indication of how successful their lobby groups have been