Challenges faced by old people to be discussed at the CAP conference

The challenges facing older people in our society, including the issues affecting those who care for adult children, will be discussed at a major conference at Queen's University this week.

The first international Changing Ageing Partnership (CAP) conference, entitled Planning Together: Policy and Participation in Ageing Societies, will take place at Queen's on Wednesday 16 and Thursday 17 September. The conference is hosted by Queen's and supported by the Social Policy and Ageing Research Centre (SPARC) at Trinity College Dublin.

Professor Sally Wheeler, Director of the Institute of Governance at Queen's School of Law, said: "Societies across the world are ageing and must adapt their policies to this demographic shift. We need to develop better health, employment, care and education policies to respond to the needs of an ageing population and, most importantly, we must involve older people in the development of these policies.

"This conference aims to do just that. The overarching aim of CAP is to give older people a voice - empowering them to influence the decisions that ultimately have an impact on their lives. Policy development is often driven by research, and this conference provides an excellent opportunity for decision makers and researchers to hear from older people about the issues that affect them.

"We will explore international best practice regarding questions that are at the heart of CAP's work. Namely, how best to increase participation so that policy for older people is driven by older people and designed for an ageing population.

"Experts from across the UK and Ireland, and as far afield as the USA, will share the latest developments on topics such as the challenges facing older people who care for adult children, issues affecting older people in transnational communities, and attitudes to older people in Ireland. The conference will make a valuable contribution in strengthening the voice of older people in policy-making in Northern Ireland."

Dr Virpi Timonen, Director of the SPARC at Trinity College Dublin, said: "Older people often experience sub-standard or unequal treatment because of how services are organised and how policies are formulated. It is vital that the position of older people and groups working on their behalf be strengthened if the potential of old age is to be fulfilled.

"Population ageing creates an opportunity to reshape many policies and services to better suit the needs of older people. The implications of population ageing face policy-makers, service planners and researchers in the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland in much the same way and this conference presents an invaluable opportunity for all of the main players in the ageing sector North and South to learn together."

Northern Ireland's Older People's Advocate Dame Joan Harbison, said: "I am delighted to be involved in this conference and commend the Changing Ageing Partnership for raising the profile of older people in this way. It is another welcome sign of the interest being taken in the issues affecting older people in a wide range of areas. 

"I am aware that older people wish to remain fully participant members of their communities for as long as possible and that they wish to receive the support and, when necessary, the care that we would all expect if we were in similar situation. 

"This conference will deal with some very important topics and will allow an interchange between older people themselves, those who are providing information on which future relevant policies can be made and policy makers. 

"It is my hope that this conference will not only be useful to all those who attend, but it will inform agendas for change in respect of older people, for older people, and those empowered to deliver on their behalf over the coming months and years."