Mary Grover turned 80 in February. “I wanted to go somewhere hot to celebrate it with my husband but of course that didn’t happen,” she shrugs pragmatically. Mary, a retired counsellor and psychotherapist and her husband John, a retired builder, live in Skibbereen where they run a busy AirBnB on […]
Features
Many older people are feeling isolated and dismissed right now due to the higher percentage of Covid-19 infections and fatalities amongst the oldest members of our population. And the statistics do draw a clear picture – if you have underlying conditions, you’re more likely to get seriously ill from the […]
Retired female Covid refugee Kay Raffell, 67, usually lives in New Zealand but this summer found herself travelling around Ireland on her bicycle. When her bike broke down, Kay found herself stranded in Clonakilty but because of the kindness of strangers, she was very well looked after and soon on […]
Most days, seventy-five-year-old Peter Carney, Skibbereen, hums a happy tune. The energetic musician, who always tries to look on the positive side of life and finds it difficult to keep still, has taken lockdown and the pandemic in his stride. One thing he really does miss however is his weekly […]
This year marks the 30th anniversary of International Day of Older Persons. As we celebrate it this week on Thursday, October 1, let us remember how difficult a year 2020 has been for the older persons in our society. The Covid-19 pandemic has caused unprecedented fear and anxiety, as well […]
The promise of extra beds and staff in the HSE’s Winter Plan is welcome, however as numbers of Covid-19 cases rise rapidly around the country, ICUs are bracing for what is to come. With Dublin and Donegal now under Level 3 restrictions and more counties at risk, including Cork, Dr […]