Local councillors have a major role to play in helping prevent suicide among older men in rural areas, Senator Mary White has said.
The Fianna Fáil Seanad spokeswoman on older people was speaking ahead of a seminar for councillors and the public on the issue in the Citywest hotel in Dublin, which she organised to raise awareness of the problem among all age groups.
County councillors, she said, were leaders in their communities and could encourage older men and women to take part in events outside their home.
She said the clergy, the GAA and active retirement groups had a big part to play in reducing the sense of isolation felt by older people arising from the transformation in the social and cultural environment in rural areas.
Ms White repeated her call for a new national 24-hour crisis helpline for people who were feeling suicidal. The emergency support service would be staffed by psychiatrists and social workers who would listen to callers and evaluate how they can best be supported, she said.
She said that suicide had been a taboo subject for years and discussing it in certain quarters was akin to the way in which sex was spoken of 20 years ago - "you can't say the word without people shuddering".
Ms White, who recently announced her desire to run for president in 2011, said Irish youth suicide rates are the fifth highest in Europe and there is evidence of an increase in suicide among older men here.
"These trends cannot be ignored. Immediate action is called for," she said.
The Suicide Prevention: A Call to Action conference continues today from 10am to 1pm.