Roscrea Age Friendly represented at national demonstration

Roscrea's Age Friendly group will be represented at a demonstration in Dublin this week to support the National Meals on Wheels programme.

The National Meals on Wheels Network, supported by Irish Rural Link, is holding a demonstration on Wednesday (April 30th) outside Leinster House to highlight the critical need for increased and sustained funding for Meals on Wheels services nationwide.

The demonstration highlights the importance of ensuring the long-term sustainability of the essential service, which provide vital support to older people and vulnerable individuals across Ireland.

Representing Roscrea is Mary MacMahon, Project Co-ordinator for Age Friendly Roscrea who are based in the former Courthouse building on Gaol Road.

“As an organisation delivering meals in the Roscrea area, I will be attending the event. The older population is growing rapidly and services such as meals on wheels are often provided by voluntary groups with some basic funding from the HSE”, Mary told the Tribune.

“With rising costs of food, fuel, transport and the lack of staff, many services are under pressure to maintain a much valued service for people in their communities”, Mary explained.

Following the demonstration in Dublin, Members of the Oireachtas are invited to an Information Day in Buswells Hotel with opportunities to drop in throughout the day.

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The National Meals on Wheels Network will provide an insight into the work it carries out and its need for increased funding and Meals on Wheels providers will share insights into the invaluable services they deliver across the country, as well as the growing challenges they face in their local areas.

Meals on Wheels services are facing many challenges that risk their ability to meet rising demand and an ageing population is outpacing current funding levels, while providers face increasing food and fuel costs, staffing shortages, and a decline in volunteerism.

Additional pressures such as rising insurance premiums, complex compliance requirements, and the drive for digital transformation add further strain—particularly for smaller, community-based providers such as in Roscrea.