Ageing, social care and social justice symposium hosted at Notre Dame Dublin

Policy makers, practitioners, and top researchers from around the world came together in Dublin, Ireland to discuss innovative ways to care for people with dementia. The one-day conference, hosted at the Dublin Global Gateway, focused on bringing transformative change in the way in which we understand, prevent, intervene, and care for older people in Ireland. The symposium brought together faculty from the University of Notre Dame and the National University of Ireland Galway (NUIG).

In 2017, The Citizen’s Assembly on Ageing made recommendations in relation to current and future arrangements and responsibilities for the provision and financing of long-term care in Ireland. More recently, the Department of Health completed a review of home care services, following which plans for a new statutory scheme and system of regulation for home support services for dependent older people will be developed. Social researchers are now exploring who should take primary responsibility for dependent elderly in Ireland, where the care should be provided, and how the care will be financed.

“Supporting older dependent people is a key policy challenge for government in Ireland,” says Christine De Largy, research support manager at NUI Galway. “The recent joint symposium with the University of Notre Dame highlighted the challenges and opportunities for the future, particularly in relation to the organization, delivery and financing of home care and residential care.”

The Centre for Economic and Social Research on Dementia (CESRD), located at NUIG, is working to provide a policy framework that will support dementia patients through an integrated, holistic, and person-centered approach. Researchers at the Centre are hoping to ultimately provide the framework for the implementation of the National Dementia Strategy in Ireland.