Kilkenny Age Friendly Conference: ALONE unveils new age friendly technology

One of the key speakers at the event was Pat Doherty, Head of Housing and Development with ALONE. ALONE is an organisation which aims to protect older people by encouraging community engagement. The charity, endorsed by Mrs. Brown’s Boys star Brendan O’Carroll, work with older people who are socially isolated, homeless, living in poverty or crisis and provide them with the necessary supports to age at home.

Doherty highlighted the dire need for the senior forums in Kilkenny, by sharing shocking statistics. According to ALONE’s studies, 1 in 10 older people in Ireland suffer from chronic loneliness, which can have the same health implications as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. Doherty argued that there was “a huge need” for more funding in Ireland’s Loneliness Taskforce, who requested €3 million in state funding this year. “The UK even have a Minister just to deal with loneliness” he observed.

Meanwhile, a quarter (25%) of over 65s in Ireland who live alone have frailty issues. There has also been a 10% drop in home ownership amongst this age category between 2002 and 2011. These facts, Doherty claimed, prove that organisations like the Age Friendly Alliance have never been needed more in Ireland.

On a more hopeful note, ALONE also unveiled plans for some groundbreaking assistive technology at the event. BConnect technology includes an easy-to-use mobile app which can prompt older people with scheduled reminders of when to take their medications, and allows them to record and keep track of their carer visits. It also keeps toll of how much time the older person has spent outdoors and inside, to avoid them becoming isolated in their homes.

The overall aim of this new technology is to connect organisations and individuals with the knowledge, training and technology they need to support people to live independently at home. BConnect was trialled by ALONE’s members across Dublin, where it was received very successfully. Doherty is now hopeful that this technology will assist older people across Kilkenny.