Do you ever consider old age? Still a young fella myself😉😃 neither have I!
The opportunity to give that phase of one’s life more thought arose in recent months after Ballywire Media won a tender to create a documentary chronicling Kilkenny’s Age Friendly Ireland journey over the past decade.
While old age may not be uppermost in your own mind right now, the experience of the older generation can appear on your radar, often as a concern due to your own parents or an elderly relative.
This was the case with my own late mother and father.
On their behalf you find yourself identifying what services are available and trying to navigate the healthcare landscape for them among other practical issues that become more difficult if your mobility is hampered.
It doesn’t have to be all doom and gloom though.
I know in my own Dad’s case he put a christmas present of an Ipad and bluetooth speaker to good use spinning hits from yesteryear at the senior gatherings at Cappawhite Resource Centre in Tipp and couldn’t wait to get going every week!
It was a delight to meet those involved in the Age Friendly movement around Kilkenny city and county speaking so passionately about remaining active, creative and most of all having fun during production of the Age Friendly documentary marking a decade of the movement in Kilkenny which was launched with Hollywood pzazz.
The driving force of the project was former GAA President and Kilkenny Age Friendly ambassador Nickey Brennan and fellow committee members.
As a Tipp native, hurling rivalry was set aside (temporarily!😃) for the production.
Many of the planning meetings and production screenings took place in the heart of the Marble city at the ideally located Pembroke Hotel, Kilkenny where John Ryan and staff couldn’t be more helpful keeping the troops fuelled with great fare from Statham’s Restaurant which some might remember as a former garage on Patrick street.
Like any production or creation it’s hard to gauge how it will be received until it’s ‘out there’.
This week a review appeared in the Noreside bible the Kilkenny People / KilkennyLive.ie and to say all involved in the production were blown away by the review below penned by Mary Cody would be an understatement.
No money changed hands before you ask!
If you know anyone involved in creating a strategy for senior members of the community whether that’s in retail, healthcare or local government there may be useful insights from the Kilkenny experience.
Don’t forget when modifying retail or any environment for that matter, for the older generation, this also means you are modifying the surroundings for parents with buggies or those in wheelchairs.
What I took away from the project is old age with the right approach can be embraced and enjoyed and in many cases lead to personal re-invention.
Oh and fun.
And filled with new friends.
Thanks Mary for the review and to Nickey and the Age Friendly committee for the opportunity to collaborate.
Don’t age! Just ask what’s next!
You can read the review and get the link to the video below.
The Kilkenny People’s take.
