Kirk House Residents Take Part in 'Appreciating Age' Video

Kirk House was delighted to be chosen as one of the locations for a new video produced by the Commissioner for Older People to highlight research into the positive contribution of older people to the Northern Ireland economy.  Residents Patricia Shaw and Sammy Gordon kindly volunteered to speak about their experiences as older people and how older people give back to society.  Mrs Hood, Mrs Johnston and Mrs Broome can also be seen socialising and chatting in one of the lounges!

Kirk House was asked to take part after the Commissioner Claire Keatinge's visit in May where she got the chance to chat with staff and residents and see what makes life at Kirk House so special.  Launching her new report the Commissioner said:

“Northern Ireland is a better and richer place because more of us our living longer and healthier lives than ever before.  Older people work, volunteer, provide care and participate widely in community and family life, contributing significant social and economic value to life in Northern Ireland. These contributions often go overlooked, and too often we hear negative voices saying that older people are a burden on public expenditure.

“Appreciating Age challenges the negative perception that older people are a drain on the public purse as it clearly shows that the over 60s put much more into society, both in economic and social terms, than they take out,  to the tune of almost £25 billion."

Click here to view the video and find out more about the research.