About Us

The network is an independent group of leaders, heads of organisations and strategic thinkers who share a Vision of “an Ireland that is one of the best countries in the world in which to grow old”.

The 75 members include CEOs and heads of units across public, private and voluntary organizations, Secretary Generals and Assistant Secretaries of the relevant government Departments, the Director of the Office for Older People and leading academics. Their expertise relates to all aspects of people’s lives: health/ medicine, community care, transport, the built environment, education, employment, pensions, social welfare, civic participation, new technology, sporting and cultural activities, and older people as consumers.

The mission of the network is two-fold:

• To reframe the agenda on ageing – by extending the focus beyond health, care and pension provision to also address the significant opportunities of a rapidly ageing global population: and
• To act as a catalyst and support for better long-term planning and greater collaboration among agencies involved in policy development and service provision across the public, private and voluntary sectors.

We work in a number of ways:

• As a think-tank, a knowledge community of experts and opinion formers, we provide forums  for members to come together to explore critical opportunities and challenges of our Vision, share expertise, test and debate ideas, access the latest research and policy developments from Ireland and abroad, influence and be influenced by the cutting-edge thinking of the many different disciplines represented, and together determine best practice in relation to all aspects of ageing and older people.  The Network is not an advocacy body, and does not lobby or take up public positions. Instead, it operates as a ‘think tank’.
• As a forum for collaboration through initiatives such as our Age-friendly Counties Programme, Silver Technologies Working Group, Positive Ageing Strategy Working Groups.
• The core work is supported by a series of specialised working groups and an information service, all serviced by professional staff in Dublin. It is funded by Atlantic Philanthropies.