ALONE Submission to Connecting for Life, Ireland’s Suicide Reduction Strategy
In April of 2025, ALONE submitted its recommendations to the Department of Health regarding its upcoming national strategy to reduce suicide, Connecting for Life. This strategy is due to be published by the end of 2025.
ALONE recommended three key policy recommendations for the next strategy:
- Expand mental health supports tailored to older adults, ensuring services are accessible, age-appropriate, and responsive to their unique needs.
- Prioritise reducing loneliness among older people as a core suicide prevention measure.
- Implement targeted interventions for older adults, such as addressing the risks associated with polypharmacy and promoting mental health literacy within this population.
This submission outlines feedback within 7 Goal areas, including recommendations to improve understanding of mental health issues and loneliness as suicide risks for older people, empower communities with training and better resources, focus on prioritising older adults, increase access and quality of supports across the country, include targeted measures to reduce overdose from over-prescribing potentially harmful medication and increase data and research into self-harm and suicide in older adults.
