Cross-Border studyOlder people in the North are more likely to be in receipt of services such as home help, chiropody and primary care than in the Republic, according to new research.
A report into health and social services on both sides of the Border suggests there is a better developed primary care service in the North compared with the Republic.
The study, One Island - Two Systems, involved interviews with more than 2,000 people over 65 and was compiled by academics at the Royal College of Surgeons, Trinity College Dublin, the ESRI and Queen's University, Belfast.
Older people in the North were much more likely to be in receipt of services such as home help (17 per cent in the North, compared with 7 per cent in the Republic), meals on wheels (26 per cent versus 18 per cent), therapies such as chiropody (29 per cent versus 20 per cent) and out-patient services such as dental care (80 per cent versus 30 per cent).
Within the Republic, older people living in urban areas were more likely to be in receipt of such health or social services.
The report's authors point out that for services such as home help, the level of service availability is "remarkably low" by international standards. While it has increased from 3.5 per cent to 7 per cent over the past decade, this compared with 17 per cent in the North and 19 per cent in Sweden.
The research, published at a conference organised by the National Council of Ageing and Older People, also found the vast majority of older people in the North (81 per cent) and Republic (89 per cent) were in favour of living at home with outside support rather than living in institutional care.
The least preferred option for long-term care was a nursing home. A large proportion of participants (39 per cent in the Republic, 42 per cent in the North) would find this option unacceptable to them.
Although most older people expressed strong preferences about long-term care, almost three-quarters had never discussed these issues with others (73 per cent in the Republic, 71 per cent in the North).
The report noted there was strong evidence of an imbalance between need and availability of community-based services to support independent living for older people who wish to avoid entering institutional care.
Researchers noted there had been a significant increase in the number of over-70s attending GPs in the Republic, which may be linked to the free medical card for the over-70s.
In attempting to improve services for older people, the report notes that focusing on a shortage of specialist services such as physiotherapy and chiropody should be a priority.
"It is quite likely, however, that the shortages impinge more on older people than other groups in society," the report says.
It says the current focus on the costs of nursing home care may divert attention from the provision of community-based services.