The Wicklow Age Friendly County Alliance is a high-level cross-sector group, chaired by the Chief Executive of the local authority. It includes senior decision-makers from public (Local Authority, HSE, An Garda Síochána etc.), commercial and not-for-profit organisations. The Wicklow Age Friendly County Alliance meet 4 times a year.
Key to the success of the Alliance is the representation of members from the Older People’s Council. The Older People’s Council exercise a strong, guiding influence on age-friendly local development. The Age Friendly Alliance plans and implements the strategies and monitors delivery of the actions detailed in the County Wicklow Age Friendly Strategy 2023-27.
The wider Older People’s Council meet twice a year and OPC Executive Group meet 6-8 times per year.
Learn more about the County Wicklow Age Friendly Programme and the Older People’s Council, from this video below, with highlights from the Older People’s Council Seminar and Open Day 2022.
Research Initiatives delivered in collaboration with the OPC
In 2023 the OPC were also instrumental in conducting research into the difficulties of older people accessing financial services online called ‘A Review of Older People’s Capacity to Access Financial Services Online and to Independently Conduct their own Financial Affairs’.
This report was Commissioned by South Leinster Citizens Information Service (CIS)/Co. Wicklow, South Leinster Money Advice and Budgeting Service (MABS) and Co. Wicklow Older Persons Council. It was funded by the Citizens Information Board though its Social Policy Grants Scheme.
Increasingly people are being directed away from face to face interactions by financial and other institutions and are given the digital option only. This report highlights the barriers that older people experience because of this change in practice and it greatly limits their independence to conduct their own financial affairs.
We hope that is report will provide you with an enhanced understanding of the needs of older people in a society moving towards digital by default.