Corona virus updates Ireland supporting AGE ACTION
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Hi to all our wonderful members at Corona virus updates Ireland . Firstly the Admin and team behind the scenes of corona virus updates Ireland want to thank each and every one of you for your contribution to the group.
The support you have all shown each other as well as us the admin has been phenomenal. Every day you are all answering irelands call and showing remarkable unitiy.
We the admin have been extremely cautious and hesitant about using the platform corona virus updates Ireland for fundraising. However it has came to our attention that older people in society are been somewhat left behind, this really upsets us all as we all have elderly vulnerable adults we love and care about dearly. We want to be able to contribute something back to these people and let them know Ireland cares and we want to support them.
So we have contacted Age Action who along with Red Cross are funding the HARDSHIP FUND, a small grant of up to €500, which is designed to help older and vulnerable people who are experiencing financial hardship and are suffering from isolation and provide food and basic provisions, small repairs, upgrades of phones or tablets or other forms of small appliances during this emergency.
Sadly we learned that already 2000 applications have reached them, some in dire straights needing assistance. The large number of people needing to avail of this grant has ment that to date the maximum grant made payable to these vulnerable people is €250. A sum of €250,000 in total.
We want to be able to ensure that the funds are there to meet peoples needs and ensure they get a grant that adequately meets their need.
Please help us, Help them.
Services provided at the moment by AGE ACTION IRELAND
Call Safe: 11,000 ‘check-in’ calls being proactively made to Age Action’s older people (members, U3A focal points and clients linked in through our Care & Repair/Getting Started programmes). Information Service – our online support through [email redacted] has been extended to 8am-8pm 7 days a week to support a high demand for our normal Information Helpline Service.
Home Safe: Providing additional supports to older people, enabling them to transition quickly out of hospital into their own homes, ensuring that their home is safe while also supporting our hospitals to respond to the Covid-19 health crisis. We are also providing an emergency response for urgent repairs and other supports for older people in the community in order to ensure people can remain safely in their own homes.
COVID-19 Hardship Fund: In partnership with the Irish Red Cross, we have launched the Hardship Fund to offer direct assistance to older people in vulnerable situations who are experiencing difficulties in meeting the increased costs of COVID-19 and to enable them to stay safe and well in their own home during the crisis. Official poverty statistics from the CSO indicate that 11.4% of people aged 65 years and over were ‘at risk’ of poverty in 2018 meaning they are not able to withstand the immediate economic impact of COVID-19. We have already received a huge demand for this assistance, with over 100 people contacting us in the first day. The main needs emerging are fuel poverty, increased bills for mobile and digital communications, food poverty as well as the additional costs of deliveries and assistance with urgent household repairs or access to small appliances that they need to enable them to self-isolate or cocoon for those over 70.
Age Action’s team is working very hard and we are committed to supporting older people in every way we can through this challenging time. Age Action is also involved in weekly calls with senior managers in the HSE to ensure accurate and up-to-date information is provided to older people through all our available channels. Our Advocacy and Communications team continue to push Government to ease the impact of the crisis on older people and those most impacted by Covid-19, but we are calling on you as we need your help to be there for older people who need us now more than ever!
The support you have all shown each other as well as us the admin has been phenomenal. Every day you are all answering irelands call and showing remarkable unitiy.
We the admin have been extremely cautious and hesitant about using the platform corona virus updates Ireland for fundraising. However it has came to our attention that older people in society are been somewhat left behind, this really upsets us all as we all have elderly vulnerable adults we love and care about dearly. We want to be able to contribute something back to these people and let them know Ireland cares and we want to support them.
So we have contacted Age Action who along with Red Cross are funding the HARDSHIP FUND, a small grant of up to €500, which is designed to help older and vulnerable people who are experiencing financial hardship and are suffering from isolation and provide food and basic provisions, small repairs, upgrades of phones or tablets or other forms of small appliances during this emergency.
Sadly we learned that already 2000 applications have reached them, some in dire straights needing assistance. The large number of people needing to avail of this grant has ment that to date the maximum grant made payable to these vulnerable people is €250. A sum of €250,000 in total.
We want to be able to ensure that the funds are there to meet peoples needs and ensure they get a grant that adequately meets their need.
Please help us, Help them.
Services provided at the moment by AGE ACTION IRELAND
Call Safe: 11,000 ‘check-in’ calls being proactively made to Age Action’s older people (members, U3A focal points and clients linked in through our Care & Repair/Getting Started programmes). Information Service – our online support through [email redacted] has been extended to 8am-8pm 7 days a week to support a high demand for our normal Information Helpline Service.
Home Safe: Providing additional supports to older people, enabling them to transition quickly out of hospital into their own homes, ensuring that their home is safe while also supporting our hospitals to respond to the Covid-19 health crisis. We are also providing an emergency response for urgent repairs and other supports for older people in the community in order to ensure people can remain safely in their own homes.
COVID-19 Hardship Fund: In partnership with the Irish Red Cross, we have launched the Hardship Fund to offer direct assistance to older people in vulnerable situations who are experiencing difficulties in meeting the increased costs of COVID-19 and to enable them to stay safe and well in their own home during the crisis. Official poverty statistics from the CSO indicate that 11.4% of people aged 65 years and over were ‘at risk’ of poverty in 2018 meaning they are not able to withstand the immediate economic impact of COVID-19. We have already received a huge demand for this assistance, with over 100 people contacting us in the first day. The main needs emerging are fuel poverty, increased bills for mobile and digital communications, food poverty as well as the additional costs of deliveries and assistance with urgent household repairs or access to small appliances that they need to enable them to self-isolate or cocoon for those over 70.
Age Action’s team is working very hard and we are committed to supporting older people in every way we can through this challenging time. Age Action is also involved in weekly calls with senior managers in the HSE to ensure accurate and up-to-date information is provided to older people through all our available channels. Our Advocacy and Communications team continue to push Government to ease the impact of the crisis on older people and those most impacted by Covid-19, but we are calling on you as we need your help to be there for older people who need us now more than ever!
Organizer
Louise Mcgann
Organizer
