Des O'Neill

No clear direction or strategy has been given by Department of Health

The media and public need to redirect their outrage over hospital overcrowding

Division and parsing of human suffering by age and condition can be a hazard of advocacy

The Hapsburg empire was a powerhouse of industry, science and technology, third in the world at the time only to the US and Germany

Pressure on nursing home residents to rent their homes is impractical and unfair

Development of electronic patient record will be a huge aid in new era of telemedicine

Twitter is a powerful tool for sharing experiences of ageing and techniques for enhancing the longevity dividend

Many are cemented to old-fashioned mindsets on ageing, unable to respond to its new realities

We must open our eyes to the vulture culture of the for-profit health insurance market

While huge sensitivity is taken with terminology relating to race and gender preference, it remains open season for attitudes and descriptors related to ageing

The danger is the Citizen's Assembly will replicate or amplify negative attitudes towards the complex subject of ageing

Empathy sways us towards the needs of the one rather than the many

Both are part of a grand tradition of musical performance to raise funds for healthcare and the needy

We should avoid self-congratulation and reflect as to whether we give due recognition to our own conflicts of interest