Falls, financial stress and rising demand expose growing pressure on older people ALONE’s 2025 Enhanced Community Care report reveals escalating demand across Ireland

ALONE, the national organisation supporting older people to age at home and in their communities, today published its latest report under the HSE’s Enhanced Community Care (ECC) programme, revealing a sharp rise in need among older people across Ireland.

The report shows that more older people are living longer with complex and overlapping challenges, including declining physical health, increased falls risk, financial strain, and persistent loneliness, placing growing pressure on individuals, communities and the wider health system.

In 2025, ALONE supported more than 46,500 older people nationwide. Physical health needs were most prevalent, affecting 59%, followed by mobility issues (38%), housing concerns (36%), and both mental health and financial difficulties (21%). Loneliness remains deeply entrenched, with 45% reporting loneliness and up to 64% requiring befriending support.

The findings are based on ALONE’s work delivering the HSE’s Enhanced Community Care programme, which focuses on early, coordinated, community-based support to improve wellbeing, help people live safely at home for longer, and reduce reliance on acute hospital services.

A significant shift is also emerging in who is seeking help. Increasing numbers are aged 76–85, with a rising cohort aged 85 and over, reflecting longer life expectancy, but also more years spent managing health, mobility, and social care needs at home. For the first time, physical health, driven in part by rising falls risk, is the most common need identified.

Demand for ALONE services continues to rise sharply. Over the past three years, the number of personalised support plans created by ALONE has increased by 165%, reflecting rapidly growing demand for community-based support.

In response, ALONE delivered services at scale throughout 2025, including over 240,000 Support and Befriending calls, more than 111,000 home visits, and over 2,700 Christmas Day dinners. Crucially, in 93% of cases, ALONE delivered the support older people told us they needed.

Commenting on the findings, Seán Moynihan, CEO of ALONE, said: “The evidence from our work is clear and grounded in real outcomes. It shows who is coming to ALONE and why. Time and again, older people are not dealing with just one problem, but a combination of health issues, falls risk, loneliness, housing difficulties and financial stress.

He added: “The scale and pace of demand we are seeing reflects the growing pressure on older people and the critical role of early, coordinated support in the community.”

Moynihan continued: “This is ALONE’s fourth year delivering under the ECC programme, and the evidence is clear: community-based support works. It helps people live better at home and reduces pressure on hospitals by intervening earlier.”

ALONE’s work is underpinned by a national volunteer network, with more than 11,700 volunteers contributing over 270,000 hours of support in 2025 — an estimated value of up to €8.5 million to the State. CHY 8259 RCN 20020057 Rev 04

ALONE has also recently launched its Strategic Plan 2026–2029, committing to expanding national impact and supporting up to 125,000 older people by 2029 through strengthened community-based health, social and practical supports. The strategy highlights the wider system benefits of investing in community services, including reduced hospital admissions, fewer delayed discharges and lower reliance on residential care.

Moynihan concluded: “When support is coordinated early in the community, older people live better at home — and the wider health system works better too.”

Anyone who needs support, or who is concerned about an older person, can contact ALONE on 0818 222 024 or visit www.alone.ie.