Panacea Health Research
Demographic models that have been extrapolated to predict Ireland’s future population indicate that while the proportionate number of older people within the population is set to rise, the State will in fact experience a ‘demographic golden age’ due to the large number of younger people in the population.
Ireland hit a record number of births in 2010, which stood at 76,762, (CSO, 2012, p.11). Ireland has the highest proportion of young people at 21.3% in the EU, and the lowest proportion of old people which stood at 11.7% of the population (Ageing Well Network, 2012, p.13). is demographic pattern will serve to provide Ireland with a modicum of breathing room in terms of addressing the challenges posed by providing for a greatly expanded older population in terms of healthcare, social insurance, mobility and other life affirming services.
The proportion of the population entering old age (defined as being over 65) stands to rise significantly, with an even greater rise in those living to their 80s. According to the Central Statistics Office, the number of those aged over 65 will be 1.3 million by 2041, up from 462,000 in 2006, with the number of those entering the 80’s set to quadruple in all of the statistical scenarios that the CSO have run with Census datasets (CSO, 2008, p.32). In terms of the challenges posed by the growth of the older section of Ireland’s population, the Economic and Social Research Institute projects that up to 13,000 additional long term residential places for older people will be required in order to provide an adequate level of support and care for this cohort of the population as they age (McKinley, 2013).
Given the contraction in resources associated in the health sector brought on and exacerbated by the prolonged economic crisis, the socioeconomic challenges posed by Ireland’s ageing population are formidable. Sociopolitical balances will be affected given that the ageing of so-called ‘boomers’ will result in greater demands for services in keeping with their expectations as this demographic have distinguishing characteristics in terms of their capacity to agitate for the allocation of resources from the political system as well as their understanding and use of technology to assess, evaluate services which they may wish to use to maintain their quality of life (Gorres, 2009, pp.3-4).
When we look at the spatial distribution of those hitting the older age categories and the patterns projected to arise over the coming decades, one may hypothesise that the demand for services to serve that older population will be most keenly felt in our urban and rural areas.
