Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown (dlr) Age Well Expo, 11th June 2023, Leopardstown Pavilion – Age Well in dlr

Description

dlr Age Well Expo took place on Sunday 11th June 2023 in Leopardstown Racecourse Pavilion to showcase and highlight the many activities and supports that are available to age well and remain healthy and active in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown.
This free event was organised and funded by Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council in association with the dlr Age-Friendly Alliance. The dlr Age Well Expo attracted almost 1,000 participants with over 40 exhibition stands, mobile health units, talks, cookery demonstrations, drama, music and dance performances as well as crafts and reflexology demonstrations, all under the one roof. The Expo featured a large diverse exhibition space, performance and demonstration spaces along with networking and café areas.
The first dlr Age Well Expo was held in 2019 and it was hugely popular. It was important, post-Covid that the Age Well Expo would return to dlr in 2023 as an opportunity to socialise, connect, engage and hear about topics of interest, particularly around the subjects of participation, health & wellbeing, safety & security, lifelong learning, volunteering, healthy eating and exercise – all to help empower older people to participate and play an active role in community life and to overcome barriers to achieving wellness.
Speakers on the day included Emeritus Professor of Psychology, Ian Robertson with an inspiring talk on ‘Confident Ageing’. Celebrity Chef Tara Walker provided Cookery Demonstrations on Healthy Cooking for One. Dr Ann Monaghan from TCD’s ‘The Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing’ (TILDA) presented the latest research report on ‘Age with Purpose – Lessons from TILDA’. Áine Flynn, director of the recently launched ‘Decision Support Service’ gave an excellent presentation on Decision-Making legislation and one of the highlights of the event was a performance by 90-year-old actress Sheila Flitton from the Banshees of Inisherin, of her highly acclaimed one-woman show ‘Beezie’.which was written by Sheila and her son David and has been performed to critical and audience acclaim on three continents.
Over 40 diverse Exhibition Stands and Mobile Units participated on the day and see list of participating exhibition stands and activities programme for the day in Appendix 1.
The feedback from the day was extremely positive from members of the public and participants (see Appendix 2) and we hope to return with another informative, supportive, empowering and extremely enjoyable dlr Age Well Expo in 2025.

Aim of Initiative

• Recent figures from the Central Statistics Office from the 2022 Census highlights that the nation is ageing rapidly and Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown was positioned as the third county in Ireland with the oldest population according to 2016 figures. The dlr Age Well Expo was organised to inform and empower older people and to help dispel myths and stereotypes about ageing with people living longer, healthier lives and looking forward to many years of active older age in Ireland.
• The dlr Age Well Expo provided an array of information, expertise, latest research findings as well as many activities and opportunities for older people and their families to get involved in social, cultural, community, sporting, life-long learning, befriending and volunteering activities and to keep fit, well and active.
• The dlr Age Well Expo was a very successful networking, information sharing and awareness raising opportunity for community, voluntary, charity and state organisations involved in supporting older people in dlr. Almost all members of the dlr Age-Friendly Alliance had an information stand at the event as well as many national and local support organisations and charities and it was free to exhibit at the event.
• The expertise, knowledge, latest research findings and opportunities to participate and learn about Ageing well in Ireland provided by speakers and exhibitors on the day also helped empower older people to stay active, healthy, well, engaged and connected with their families, friends and communities in their later years.
• The dlr Age Well Expo is an action identified in the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Age-Friendly Strategy 2022-2026 as a Biennial event dedicated to showcasing and celebrating age-friendly services and supports available in dlr.
• The dlr Age Well Expo is an action that helps achieve the shared mission and vision of the dlr Age-Friendly Alliance of working “together to ensure that as we grow older, people may connect, engage and participate in the economic, social and cultural life of their communities in an age-friendly, welcoming, inclusive and accessible environment”.
• The dlr Age Well Expo is a wonderful initiative to showcase Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown as a vibrant place where people can age well, thrive and engage positively with our services, facilities and amenities and that we all experience good health, wellbeing and fulfilment in our local communities and neighbourhoods throughout our lives.

Who is it aimed at

The dlr Age Well Expo was aimed at older people, their families, carers and friends living in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown. The aim of the event was to highlight and showcase the many opportunities, activities, services, supports, groups and organisations operating and available in dlr for older people to join and participate in to assist with remaining healthy, well, active and engaged in community life and to age well in dlr.

3 Steps critical to success

1. 1. The dlr Age Well Expo Steering Group which was established to guide and oversee the planning of the Expo event was critical to the success of the initiative. The dlr Age Well Expo Steering Group was made up predominantly of members aged 55+ from the dlr Older People’s Council, the dlr Age-Friendly Alliance, the Garda Older Person’s Association, an Garda Síochána and the dlr Age-Friendly Programme team. The Steering Group members were nominated by their various representative committees and members of the Steering Group also participated in the photoshoot for the dlr Age Well Expo and were critical to the planning and final dlr Age Well Expo programme of activities and events.
2. 2. dlr Age Well Expo event champion: Ronnie Delany, our dlr Age-Friendly Ambassador was unfortunately unavailable to participate in the 2023 dlr Age Well Expo. However, Leopardstown resident and Banshees of Inisherin star, 90-year-old Sheila Flitton was sought by the Steering Group to perform at the event. Sheila was delighted to perform and to also promote and publicise the Expo and was a wonderful champion and a great advocate for the dlr Age Well Expo and the epitome of ageing well and remaining active in her later years.
3. 3. The programme of events for dlr Age Well Expo was organised by the dlr Age-Friendly Programme Team and Steering Group and an event management company was sourced to manage venue set up, stage management on the day and assist with publicity for the event. Having an Event Management Company on board on the run up to the event and on the day freed up County Council staff and Steering Group Committee members to support older people’s groups and exhibitors as well as assisting and guiding visitors, performers and dignitaries and to network and meet the many people participating on the day. The Event Management Company also brought their PR expertise and the event received national and local coverage and raised the profile of the event for older people and their families living in Dublin, for dlr County Council, dlr Age-Friendly Programme, dlr Age-Friendly Alliance members, Age-Friendly Ireland and participants taking part in the dlr Age Well Expo event.

3 Challenges in Planning / Delivery

1. 1. The Leopardstown Racecourse Pavilion was the only venue located in the county large enough to host all aspects of the dlr Age Well Expo but was not well serviced by regular public transport options. This was addressed by the provision of 4 free buses by Dublin Bus and Go Ahead to transport participants to the event departing and returning to Dún Laoghaire DART station in the East side of the County and from Nutgrove and Dundrum in the Westside of the county as well as an Garda Síochána providing free transport to and from the nearest Luas Station in Sandyford in 2 Garda Community buses from 9.30 – 4.30p.m on the day of the event.
2. 2. In order to manage numbers for the dlr Age Well Expo, we required attendees to pre-book tickets online through Eventbrite. However, we were very conscious that not all attendees would be able to book and access tickets online and we provided the dlr County Council Community Section phone number. We received dozens of phone calls from members of the public seeking support to book their tickets online and this assistance was provided by the admin team in the Community Section and tickets were booked and sent in the post to attendees or available for collection at the door on the day of the event.
3. 3. There is a large cost associated with funding the dlr Age Well Expo, especially post-Covid as many costs have increased. However, due to the ageing profile of our county and the importance of supporting older people to age well at home and in our communities and to remain healthy and well, Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council have committed to providing funding every 2 years to host the dlr Age Well Expo up to 2026 to showcase, highlight and support the many activities and services that are available to the residents of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown locally to participate, engage and be active in our communities as we age.

3 Outcomes / Benefits

1. 1. Large participation by almost 1,000 people who visited, showcased and participated in the dlr Age Well Expo and all participating were informed about the array of activities, organisations, groups and services that support older people to age well and remain active and healthy in later years in dlr. The programme of talks presented at the dlr Age Well Expo also provided an excellent opportunity to hear about the latest research findings from The Irish LongituDinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) in Ireland which was presented by Dr Ann Monaghan from Trinity College Dublin. Highly regarded Emeritus Professor of Psychology Ian Robertson inspired many present to Age with Confidence and the dlr Age Well Expo provided an opportunity for participants to learn about the newly established Decision Support Service, participate in the dlr Public Participation Network or volunteer with the dlr Volunteer Centre. The dlr Age Well Expo also provided participants with a taste of healthy eating when cooking for one as demonstrated by celebrity chef Tara Walker and also the opportunity to dance, sing, craft, meditate and participate in reflexology workshops and experience and learn from the 40+ exhibition stands and Mobile Health Units that informed the dlr Age Well Expo participants about the many social, cultural, community, befriending, sporting, lifelong learning and creative opportunities and activities that are available, many of which are organised and delivered by older people for older people to socialise, connect, engage and age well in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown.
2. 2. Increased awareness of the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown Age-Friendly Programme and the work of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council and member organisations of the dlr Age-Friendly Alliance was a noted outcome and benefit of the dlr Age Well Expo. The Expo received extensive media coverage (see Media Coverage & Press Cuttings attached) and many participants were surprised by the amount of supports and services available to older people by so many organisations and groups, all of which was showcased and available under the one roof in the Leopardstown Racecourse Pavilion. The free 2023 Edition of the Directory of Activities & Services for Older People in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown was also launched and made available at the dlr Age Well Expo and was a wonderful resource for participants and the public to bring home with information and contact details for exhibitors and organisations participating in the dlr Age Well Expo 2023. Members of the public were also given a free copy of the annual dlr Age-Friendly Magazine 2023, full of information on Age-Friendly supports and services available in Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown in their goodie bag as they entered the Leopardstown Pavilion.
3. 3. Increased opportunity for collaboration and networking between the 40+ exhibiting Information Stands and Mobile Units, dlr Age-Friendly Alliance member organisations, older people’s groups and staff and volunteers working at the event – all present to share information and support older people to age well in dlr. It was also a great opportunity for minority community groups such as the Southside Travellers Action Group who had their newly built Men’s Shed Barrel Top Wagon on display to the public for the first time. The dlr Integration Forum, LGBT Ireland, Living Well with Dementia, Mental Health Ireland and many other groups were able to attract new members, share information and meet older members of the community at the dlr Age Well Expo.