Older Adults Who Receive Care Coordination from the Third Sector in Ireland: Who Are They, and What Do They Need?
This paper describes findings from a research project which explored the characteristics of over 4,000 older adults accessing ALONE’s support coordination services. These adults completed detailed assessments between September 2022 and June 2023. Most were women over 60, and 60% lived alone. About 62% said they felt lonely, and 63% had more than one main issue—mostly related to health or housing.
Analysis revealed that the number of issues people had was linked to their age, whether they owned their home, if they received home help, and if they felt lonely. The study grouped people into four types based on their needs:
- Low Core Support Needs
- Physical Issues
- Psychosocial Issues
- High Core Support Needs
Interestingly, loneliness was strongly linked to being in the “Low Core Support Needs” group—suggesting that even people with fewer practical needs may seek help due to feeling lonely. These findings can help improve how services are planned and delivered for older adults.
