Daniel and guests launch today's strategy for older people. Pic by Northwest Newspix.
Daniel O'Donnell has pleaded with people not to dismiss the opinions of older people no matter what their age.
The singer was speaking as he launched the Donegal Age Friendly Strategy today.
Daniel, 53, is back in Ireland from his base in Tenerife and will spend the summer months in his native Kincasslagh.
Daniel taking a break to read up about today's launch. Pic by Northwest Newspix.
The strategy was developed following extensive consultation with older people across the county and aims to ensure that older people continue to play an active role in their communities.
Daniel said young people often forget the knowledge and wisdom which our older generation have to offer.
"Many people born in the 1980s and onwards know very little more than about computers and technology and they really are missing out on so much.
"Many do not realise or appreciate the vast wealth of knowledge and wisdom that our older generation have to offer them.
"I think if these people sat down with this older generation and listened to them, then they would learn so much.
"Where two rivers meet there could be a huge current of knowledge," he said.
MUM
Daniel said his thoughts were with his mother Julia who passed away at the age of 94 last summer.
He said that she would have loved an occasion such as yesterday's which tries to look after the needs of the elderly.
"She would have loved it and like me, she would have been very proud to know it was starting in Donegal.
"She was very active and she was always doing something or out and about. It's great to see so many of our older generation here today," he said.
The star said he was delighted to have been in a position to have played a fundraising concert for Dungloe Community Hospital last Sunday where his mum spent her final days.
The concert raised more than €30,000 as a result of the event.
"The weather wasn't great but I just wanted to give something back to the hospital. It may sound strange but if we wanted mammy to spend her final days anywhere, then we could not picked a better place because she was so well looked-after by the staff," he said.
WEATHER
He revealed that wife Majella is in good health and that the couple are looking forward to some nice Donegal weather in the coming weeks.
"It's nice in Tenerife but if we get anything like last year then we're in for a good time at home," he added.
The Donegal Age Friendly Strategy was launched earlier today in the Regional Culture Centre in Letterkenny.
This launch is an important milestone as it sets out a blueprint for how we will plan and develop communities in the coming years to ensure that Donegal is a truly great place in which to grow up and grow old.
Speakers included Cathaoirleach of Donegal County Council, Cllr John Campbell, Catherine McGuigan, Regional Programme Manager, Age Friendly Ireland and Donegal County Council’s Chief Executive Seamus Neely.
The strategy was developed following extensive consultation with older people across the county and aims to ensure that older people continue to be supported to play an active role in their communities.
This strategy will be the driver of collaboration by a number of organisations who will work together over the next five years with a focus on improving the quality of lives of older people in Donegal.
Older People themselves are central to this process. They are directly involved in this process through membership of Older Person’s Councils and Age Friendly Alliances.
This strategy is a direct response to the views gathered from older people over the age of 55 years in Donegal. The values, vision, mission and strategic goals that will drive the Donegal Age Friendly County project come directly from the views of older people, service providers and the organisations taking part in this project.
The model has been adopted from the World Health Organisation’s model of Age Friendly Cities and Communities Programme. This is part of the national roll out of Age Friendly Cities and Communities by Age Friendly Ireland.
Speaking earlier this week Donegal County Council Chief Executive and Chairman of the Donegal Age Friendly Alliance, Seamus Neely said positive ageing and healthy ageing were in everyone’s interest.
“The Donegal Age Friendly Strategy is one of the many ways that we, as a society, will realise the aims and aspirations of these two vital national documents. I am heartened to see the high level of involvement from the public, private, community and voluntary sectors in this initiative,” he said.
The Donegal Age Friendly Alliance, which consists of representatives from all stakeholders who have an influence and impact on the lives of older people have crafted a strategy that is far-reaching in nature with a number of new cross cutting actions that will be delivered by a number of organisations over the three year implementation period.
Many of the actions will have a very tangible impact on the county, while others, will be more subtly felt. This strategy is innovative in nature; it will see the implementation of national programmes that are new to the county such as the fall prevention programme and the Cúl Taca programme.
It also aims to create brand new initiatives that build on the local resources of the county such as enterprise mentoring and an age friendly business programme. Also included are actions that will make a substantial impact on the lives of older people such as Age Friendly Town Planning, Age Friendly Hospitals and increased participation by older people in social, cultural and sporting activities.
A critical component of the delivery of this strategy will be the creation of the County Donegal Older People’s Forum, which will be an extensive network of older people which will form part of the Donegal Public Participation Network.
Implementation of the twenty one actions outlined in this strategy will obviously have a positive impact on the lives of older people and the collaboration between agencies and service providers that will occur through the work of Donegal Age Friendly Alliance and Donegal Older Persons Forum will also have longer term effects on the overall vision of making Donegal an age friendly county.