A support group for the elderly has urged communities across Ireland to be vigilant about the needs of their neighbours after the body of pensioner who died at Christmas was found in a house in Wexford over the weekend.
The man who died alone in a small terraced house in Wexford town at Christmas lay undiscovered until Sunday evening, when a passerby noticed a Christmas tree with lights on and decided to notify the gardaí .
When gardaí gained access to the house on Lower John Street they found the decomposed remains of a man in his 60s who was originally from Britain.
The deceased man’s identity was not being released until all next of kin have been informed, gardaí said today.
Age Action said the incident should act as a wake-up call for communities across the country.
Spokesman Eamon Timmins said: “With more than a quarter of older people in Ireland living alone, and loneliness being one of the greatest problems facing many older people, communities have to be vigilant, they have to make special efforts to involve older people in community activities and to remain in regular contact with them.”
He also noted that the case challenged the perception that isolation was only an issue for people living in remote areas
“Loneliness and isolation is also a problem for some older people living in the centre of towns and cities, with people streaming past their front doors each day,” Mr Timmins added.
The charity group Alone, which provides support to older people in need of assistance, also called on members of the public to be more aware of checking on their older neighbours.
The group's chief executive Seán Moynihan said: “"This tragedy highlights how the public can easily become disengaged from isolated older people. There is a stigma attached to admitting we are lonely, so people tend not to look for help or support.”
Approximately 30 per cent of people aged over 65 live alone, and are potentially at risk of social exclusion, Mr Moynihan said.
“As a society, we need to ensure that we are aware of the needs of older people who may be isolated, and where direct support is not practical, to urge that anyone who has concerns about the wellbeing of an older person calls us.”
The results of a postmortem examination, which was carried out on the man's decomposed remains at Waterford Regional Hospital this morning, have yet to be released.
