15,000 older people supported by ALONE in 2020

ALONE have released their 2020 Annual Report, ‘The Story of Resilience, Dedication and Commitment’

Dublin, 27 September 2021   ALONE, the organisation that supports older people to age at home, launched its Annual Report, ‘The Story of Resilience, Dedication and Commitment’, demonstrating growth of 174% in the number of older people receiving ongoing support from ALONE over a twelve-month period. Those seeking and who received support increased from 5,410 in 2019 to around 15,000 in 2020. ALONE operated all services 365 days of the year in 2020 and are now concentrating on growth to ensure sustainability of service.

ALONE worked across three Government Departments and with countless other agencies “in the true spirit of cooperation”. The organisation’s National Support and Referral Line created direct access to ALONE’s integrated service model. This line provided access to services, advice and information while some examples of their key achievements in numbers are receiving almost 42,000 calls in 2020; receiving 1,100 calls in one day at its peak. Nearly 139,000 calls were placed to older people from ALONE staff and volunteers.

ALONE entered the COVID-19 pandemic with 2,000 volunteers increasing this figure to 3,000 by the end of 2020.

The organisation saw a 700% increase to Telephone Support & Befriending services. While almost 800 new older people were linked into ALONE’s Support and Befriending service. These vital calls not only alleviated loneliness and isolation in an older person’s life it also provided them with health information, appointment and medication reminders and gave them information, support and encouragement to get through COVID-19.

ALONE’s innovation in technology enabled them to support thousands of older people to live independently at home. Assistive technology provides older people with security and support to self-manage and share information on health and well-being with family and health professionals. Older people were supported with Smartphones, Tablets, Pendant Alarms and smart home sensors throughout Ireland

ALONE CEO Seán Moynihan stated, “ALONE decided to stand up and be counted, the strength and courage to do this comes from our culture. Our culture and history, informs our movements and keeps us grounded to our purpose. Our reason to exist as an NGO is to be there when you are needed most. 2020 was the year our sector and the community showed our value.”

He continued, “Our focus remains with older people and we always ensure to respond in line with our vision, mission, values and our strategy. We will now turn our focus to growth and quality of service so we can continue to support and empower as many older people as possible across Ireland.”

Joe Sheehy, Chairperson of ALONE’s Board of Trustees, stated, “ALONE has grown significantly in 2020 and is likely to continue to do so in 2021, benefiting greater numbers of older people throughout Ireland. We have achieved great things as an organisation during the past year and most importantly we have reached more older people than ever before in 2020. We remain committed to investment in technology for older people to assist in aging at home and also in driving Housing with Supports as a key pillar for delivery.”

ALONE dedicated pages in their Annual Report to remembering all of those lost and they thank everyone that has supported and worked with them, stating, “We now need to take the learning and ensure protection and security for this cohort now and into the future.”

Read the full Annual Report here.