ALONE celebrates supporting over 38,000 older people to age at home as part of enhanced community care in 2023

Among the highlights in ALONE’s annual report is evidence of increased community support  
for older people to age at home. 

Dublin 15th October 2024:   ALONE, the organisation which enables older people to age at home, today launched its annual report for 2023, a year which saw the charity support over 38,000 people to age at home. 

ALONE’s unique community-based service hub model, providing a range of services, offers direct support to older people in their homes, as well as connecting older people with existing services in their local area. These ALONE Model Hubs are present in every corner of the country. Their structures align with the massive investment made by the HSE in recruiting nearly 3,000 new staff, establishing 96 CHNS, setting up 30 new Community Specialist teams to focus on older people across 6 Health Regions. 

Commenting on the 2023 report, Sean Moynihan, ALONE, CEO said, “What we are most proud of as an organisation is the fact that were able to deliver 86% of the supports people requested from us in 2023, and 78% of those within 3 weeks. Our strategy is built around the actual needs and priorities of older people and delivering them in the locations they are needed. These results show that we are on track and delivering what is needed. ALONE’s support covers a wide range of areas, and in some ways, we are a single source for everything you need to access to age at home. Our supports range from helping older people to adapt their bathrooms, to addressing social isolation, and everything in between. These results are a tribute to the efforts of our volunteers, staff and board members, and we would like to give them all our deepest thanks.” 

ALONE works with the HSE’s Enhanced Community Care programme to aid hospital discharges and prevent re-admission where care is available within the community, as well as offering general support to age at home. By providing Support & Befriending services to people who need it, Assistive Technology to aid living at home, and access to our Community Impact Network to connect people with all services, ALONE is transforming the experience of ageing at home.  

Pat Healy, National Director, HSE said, “With Community Healthcare Networks working in partnership with ALONE, our citizens are able to live in their own home for as long as possible getting the support they need to live independently every day.  The HSE partnership with ALONE has been an extremely positive experience.  ALONE services are responsive and connect older people with existing services in a way that helps us ensure that people can live well in their own communities.”   

Sean Moynihan continued: “One of the best outcomes of the increased support we offer, and the broader range of older people we’re working with, is that it allows us to identify and address new needs and priorities as they arise; these issues will become more urgent as our population ages, and we need to be well placed to meet them. Our future must be centered around the needs of older people – both existing needs and emerging ones – so we can continue our people to age at home with freedom and dignity.”  

The ALONE Annual Report 2023 can be downloaded from here: 

https://alone.ie/wp-content/uploads/2024/10/ALONE-Annual-Report-2023.pdf