The Labour Party unveiled a new plan today aimed at encouraging a more positive attitude to ageing.
In the plan Lean ar Aghaidh: An Age Friendly Societylaunched this morning, the Labour Party said that its key priorities in government would be the provision of 1,500 public long stay beds, with 600 of those provided in the Dublin area.
The plans to increase the number of beds available to elderly patients would be complemented by an assessment of the need of individuals to allow elderly people living at home to avail of increased supports.
Further plans include the setting up of a Patient Safety Authority to ensure that a high standard of care provided to elderly patients is maintained, as well as the abolition of means testing for carers of elderly people.
Elderly people will be encouraged to maintain an active role in the community with increased training, education and work programmes and a proposed "out and about" scheme that would provide a €1 admission ticket for older people to major cultural and sporting events around the country.
Labour also proposes to raise the social welfare pension to €300 by 2012 to reduce the number of "inequities" in the social welfare system.
Speaking today, Labour leader Pat Rabbitte said that the Labour Party wanted "our older citizens to enjoy the fruits of the prosperity they created, in the security they deserve, while playing a full role in our society".