Alone - supporting older people

1. Seán Moynihan, CEO
A national response to loneliness and improving the health and
wellbeing of older and vulnerable adults in Ireland

2. Empowering Pat
“Sometimes I drive to the local
café just so I can have a chat. The
great thing about a volunteer is
that I know someone is going to
ask me how I am that day. But
the days are really long and I
have nowhere to go.”

3. Supporting 2,000 people directly
2,000 older
people
[CATEGO
RY
NAME]
[PERCEN
TAGE]
Housing
23%
Finance
13%
Physical health
9%
Security
7%
Pendant alarm,
personal care,
other
10%
8%: Under 60
16%: 60-70
30%: 70-80
36%: 80-90
9%: Over 90
2%: Not specified
102,000
Over 50s are lonely
836,000
Over 50s have problems
with housing
81,000
Over 65s are frail

4. Over-65s live alone Older women, and
just 16% of men,
report positive and
supportive
friendships
Over 50s are
moderately or most
isolated
40%1 in 10
Population of over 65s
Over-60s struggle
with chronic
loneliness
1 in 3
A changing Ireland
1 in 3

5. Our services
Befriending and Supports:
Regular visits and telephone
services.
Support Coordination:
One point of contact to help and
facilitate ageing at home.
Supportive Housing:
Provides age friendly housing to
older people.
BConnect:
Providing technology, training, and
knowledge to agencies, family and
friends nationally.
Improving quality of life
Improving independence
Improving physical and
mental health
Increasing wellbeing
Our impact
What we do

6. Reaching vulnerable groups
Deaf Befriending Deaf An Garda Síochána

7. The Loneliness Taskforce
Our vision is an Ireland
free from loneliness

8. “Saw the video on twitter and
decided to get in touch because I’m
lonely and I never thought I would
ever say that. In full time education
in Cork (don’t want to name it
because I have no problem with
college) and it is lonely. I have a
feeling of emptiness that is hard to
describe kinda like you ran out of
petrol in the car. I’m surrounded by
hundreds of people every day but
nobody really bothers with me. I see
lots of other students that are in the
same boat.”
“Loneliness is isolation without
friends in rural Ireland. I live in pure
isolation at home, countryside, no
friends, cannot go anywhere, no
neighbours. It is ten years since I
was on a holiday (I went on my own
and that was lonely so never again)
and over 20 years since I visited my
local town at night-time. I would love
to go for dinner in a restaurant but
sitting there on my own would
destroy me. No one goes out on their
own. ”

9. A Connected Island
Recommendations
- Annual funding of €3m
- Dedicated Government
- A public campaign
- Supporting initiatives & organisations
- Research

10. ALONE Hubs in 2022
16,000 volunteers
500,000 friendship & support visits
45,000 older people supported
700 Housing with Support homes
100 organisations
working with BConnect

11. sean.moynihan@alone.ie
Chief Executive