Inaugural Age Well Expo draws over 1,500 attendees

On Tuesday, May 7^th, Waterford’s first Age Well Expo took place in the Tower Hotel and was attended by over 1,500 participants throughout the afternoon.

The Age Friendly Waterford event, in association with Healthy Waterford, UPMC Whitfield and Waterford City and County Council showcased the services, supports and activities available to older people to lead fulfilling, healthy and active lives.

The jam-packed expo featured over 50 exhibition stands, talks from keynote speakers and interviews with local organisations and community groups providing insightful and topical information to everyone who strives to age well.  The event was MCed by WLRfm’s Kieran Foley.

• _{Dylan White,  Minister of State at the Department of Health with special responsibility for Mental Health and Older People, Mary Butler TD and Waterford Older People’s Council (OPC) chairperson Susan O’Connor.}
• _{A large attendance at the Age Well Expo in the Tower Hotel}
• _{Waterford branch of Parkinson’s Association of Ireland exhibiting at the Age Well Expo}
• _{Members of Déise Mens Shed exhibiting at the Age Well Expo}

Speaking following the event, UPMC Whitfield General Manager Gwen Daniels was delighted with the event and the numbers that came along on the day. “UPMC is proud to be involved in Waterford’s first Age Well Expo. The event showcased the breadth and quality of services that are available to older people and that was really well received. 

“All of the exhibitors had a busy day engaging with the attendees, which goes to show there is a real appetite for accurate information about ageing well.  There was a broad spectrum of information available, including everything from healthcare and well-being to lifelong learning, energy saving grants to social activities and fire and personal safety to volunteering opportunities.”

Some of the exhibition stands included An Garda Síochána, Waterford and Wexford Education and Training Board (WWETB), HSE, SETU Lifelong Learning, ALONE, Waterford Volunteer Centre, Waterford Libraries, Fire Services, Waterford Sports Partnership and Local Link, along with speakers from Waterford Integrated Care for Older People (WICOP) and SETU on returning to education.

Waterford City and County Council provided information on housing grants, community engagement initiatives, energy cost reduction, recreational activities tailored for older adults and much more.

Michael Walsh, Chair of Age Friendly Alliance, said the Age Well Expo was a wonderful opportunity for older people to engage with support agencies and service providers.  “The Age Well Expo was all about older people and putting them front and centre.  Having access to a wide range of information about available services from support agencies, community groups and healthcare professionals can only enhance the lives of older people.”

Dylan White, Age Friendly Waterford Programme Manager added, “This multi-agency approach to enhancing and improving the lives of older people is to be welcomed.  There is a solid network of services for older people in Waterford.  The premise of the inaugural Age Well Expo was to introduce older people to this network of services and provide them with the information to make more informed choices about ageing well.”

Established in January 2014, Age Friendly Ireland coordinates the national Age Friendly Cities and Counties Programme with the first Age Friendly Strategy for Waterford City and County being launched in 2017.  The Programme brings together supports and provides technical guidance to the 31 local-authority-led, multi-agency Age Friendly City and County Programmes in every local authority area.