Kilmaley project wins national Age Friendly award

Kilmaley Voluntary Housing Association has been named one of the overall winners at the National Age Friendly Recognition and Achievement Awards 2018.

The Association, which was nominated by the Clare County Council Age Friendly Development Officer, won the Age Friendly Housing Award in recognition of An Cluinín Retirement Village in Kilmaley, a development of 24 independent living houses with a Daycare and Health Centre.

The awards ceremony in Monaghan town saw projects from across the country recognised for their innovative and creative approaches to making Ireland a great place in which to grow old.

The award success has been welcomed by Councillor Tom McNamara, Mayor of Clare, who is a founding member of 'Meitheal' Kilmaley Development Association.

“The Retirement Village was developed in response to an identified need within the rural area of Kilmaley where people were moving into long-term care way before their time,” said Mayor McNamara.

“The organisation created a development from a green field site which consists of 24 single independent living houses with help from an outreach service when required. In addition, a Day Centre was built which caters for 110 older people in the immediate locality and a Health Centre which accommodates the public health nurses and GP service.

“Overall, this development aims to provide an older person with a better quality and more fulfilled life, leading to a normal way of growing old in their own home,” added Mayor McNamara.

Karen Fennessy, Clare County Council Age Friendly Development Officer, congratulated Kilmaley Voluntary Housing Association on its award success, adding, “This housing development has created a happy sustainable community for the older generation. It provides a quiet, secure and modern environment for older people of Kilmaley and the surrounding areas, who had become very isolated from basic community services. The housing is well located and integrated into the wider community and overall is an attractive place to live.”

The Age Friendly Cities and Counties Programme has been running for over ten years and has been implemented by all 31 Local Authorities, including Clare County Council.  The programme is built on the recognition of the valuable role that older people can and should play in shaping their communities for the better and it aims to make Ireland a truly great place in which to grow old.  

Page last reviewed: 17/04/18

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