REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT A SEMINAR TO CELEBRATE THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY
REMARKS BY PRESIDENT McALEESE AT A SEMINAR TO CELEBRATE THE 25TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE FOUNDING OF CLARECARE
It gives me great pleasure to be here with you this evening to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the founding of Clarecare. I am honoured to have been invited to join you on such an important occasion for your organisation and I would like to thank your Director Rev. Ger Nash for the invitation – and indeed for the warm elcome I have been given here in Ennis.
We are now at the end of a century that has seen profound changes in society – in family structures, in a whole range of technologies and in the design and delivery of health care. All these changes have greatly impacted on our lives and lifestyles. Unlike life at the turn of the century, today most of us can expect to live for 75 years or more - an increase in life expectancy that has been one of the great achievements of western societies in the twentieth century. As the standard of living for the young and middle aged in this country has risen, so too the quality of life of successive generations of older people has improved. Illness and dependency have been pushed further and further back thanks largely to advances in medicine and pharmacology.
Coupled with those advances, the tendency towards smaller family units and a greater emphasis on independent living have raised new issues of participation, care and caring for the elderly. Statistics show that there are over 60 million people in the European Community aged 60 and over - representing one in five of the total European population - and set to rise to one in four in the next couple of years. Here in Ireland the number will increase from just over 400,000 at present to almost 700,000 by 2026, with the greatest increase being in the number of people over 80 years of age. Over 80 per cent of elderly people are healthy and active and leading independent lives.
There is much to be said about the positive contribution of our senior citizens to Irish life – in politics, literature, music, amateur drama, voluntary work, community development and family life. In Áras an Uachtaráin and in communities that I have visited around the country over the past year, I have been meeting community groups and voluntary organisations who are using the experiences and talents of older people, and harnessing that great reserve of energy and skill for the benefit of others. In so doing, they are creating a new sense of self worth – a confidence in life and living that is so important for people who have contributed to their family or community throughout their working lives, and who feel that they still have something very positive and useful to contribute. The importance of that feeling of self-esteem and participation is vital in preserving an interest in life and in maintaining a strong sense of independence in a society where it is possible to become totally isolated in any community through simple lack of contact and dialogue with others.
But there inevitably comes a time when people need some degree of care. We are fortunate in Ireland that the provision of care and other facilities for the elderly is very much community-based – with many communities in urban and rural areas providing varying degrees of facility for the older people in their communities – with the overall aim being to enable people to live in their own homes for as long as possible. This has involved partnership arrangements between the voluntary and statutory sectors - combining local efforts with state resources in a synergistic approach which focuses effort and attention precisely where it is required. That partnership arrangement has achieved great success over the last decade or so – and mirrors the approach taken at national level by the social partners in bringing us the prosperity and progress that we have today.
We are, of course, blessed in this country with the efforts and talents of a wide range of voluntary organisations who give their time and energy so generously to help others – and Clarecare is a perfect example of such a voluntary group – one which I know is regarded, within the health service generally, as a model for the rest of the country. The success of Clarecare over the years is yet another testimony to partnership – in this case a very successful partnership between Clarecare and the Mid Western Health Board.
By my presence here this evening I want to give much deserved recognition and affirmation to the many people who have been involved and associated with Clarecare over the most important era in our history. Your dedication and commitment has been commendable - and your willingness to work with others in the pursuit of your mission of care is an example and an inspiration to others. The past 25 years have been a time of change – and the secret of your success has been your willingness to adapt to constantly shifting circumstances. I hope that as we all look forward to a new century and a new millennium – you can continue to provide quality care and service – and that the new opportunities and challenges that face society in the decades ahead will give you the scope to develop and progress in the same way that you have met the challenges of change in the past.
It is an exciting time for all of us and one that gives us great hopes for the future.