It would be unjust if the plethora of designated weeks marking particular aspects of Irish life were to diminish the importance of Positive Ageing Week which started yesterday.
Indeed, the volume of such events can lead to compassion fatigue among the public. Similarly, the increasing number of charitable collections can anaesthetise the public to the needs of vulnerable people. It is time, therefore, for the Government to vigorously implement its commitment to join the charity sector in a thorough scrutiny of how groups collect and distribute money and of their legitimacy. Otherwise voluntary organisations are in danger of being seen as a mere addition to social provision rather than a vital part of it.
No sector should be exempt from such examination, least of all that dealing with the elderly, whose lives, ambitions and difficulties are being highlighted during Positive Ageing Week. Politicians, too, should query whether they have taken ageing seriously. None of the Opposition parties can claim to have made a real impact on ageing matters, despite the fact that they are of major concern to 11 per cent of the population. Mr Ivor Callely, the Minister of State for Services for Older People, has failed to translate his renowned talents at constituency level to the ageing arena.
Ageing, as Kofi Annan, the UN Secretary General has said, will be a defining issue of this century. Political mediocrity, unfocused voluntary bodies, and underfunding have to be addressed if the elderly are to be guaranteed their fair proportion of the State's resources, and opportunities. This demands sedulous commitment from the Government and the voluntary sector to the rights of older people. Age Action Ireland, the Irish Senior Citizens' Parliament, Age & Opportunity, the Senior Helpline, and many other worthy groups, could use the week to examine their work and attitudes. The official National Council on Ageing and Older People need not be immune either from such self-examination, despite its publication of many excellent reports and its organisation of successful conferences.
These bodies should ask themselves some questions. Is their presence enhancing the lives of the elderly? If not, what should they do? Should they close, amalgamate, or signal a firm intent to sharpen their performance? And - at the forefront - nursing homes, home helps, chiropodists, GPs, care attendants, nurses, and most important, the families caring for elderly relatives, are entitled to query whether they are getting wholehearted State support. Asking such questions, and expecting answers, would be a solid contribution to Positive Ageing Week.