The Older People’s Councils are established in all 31 local authority areas in Ireland as a core component of the Age Friendly Programme structure. They are designed as consultative groups that allow the voice of older people to feed into policy and local decision-making.
Kitty is chair of the Longford Older People’s Council and works with the Longford Age Friendly Alliance on their strategy implementation in support of the goal of making County Longford a great place in which to grow old. An annual information and networking day during “Positive Ageing Week”, an action-packed Bealtaine Festival and age-friendly car parking spaces are among some of the successful actions in the county supporting the ageing population. Older people’s views are taken into consideration in town regeneration programmes and the Age Friendly Programme was to the fore in the Covid community response (County Community Call) – very proud achievements.
Kitty is a retired primary school principal and has represented the Age Friendly Programme at many speaking engagements including the recent launch of a health and wellbeing legacy document and repository of initiatives for older people. She has also spoken on behalf of the Older People’s Council at County Council meetings, at the Joint Policing Committee and on local media.
Kitty is a member of Longford Historical Society and loves researching and recording local history and aspects of the social history of the county; in particular the dispensary medical service and some of the doctors – forgotten heroes of pandemics in times gone by!
She also does voluntary work in the parish of St Mel’s in Longford. Following the great fire of 2009, she was a member of the communications group that recorded the story of the restoration of St. Mel’s Cathedral.