The Green Party has called for an Older Persons' Ombudsman among a range of measures designed promote the interests of the elderly.
In a new policy document, the Greens pledged to establish a Cabinet sub-committee on ageing and older persons and a national positive ageing strategy if elected to Government.
The Citizenship, Equality, Respectdocument also suggests the creation of the post of a Minister of State at the Department of the Taoiseach to oversee policy aimed at improving housing, transport and healthcare services for older people.
In addition, the party says the carer's allowance should not be means tested and that pensioners should not be automatically ineligible for the allowance. The document also pledges to set up a national strategy for carers and a national carers' register.
Green Party leader Trevor Sargent said the policy was devised in consultation with older persons and representative groups.
"Ireland has the second-highest rate of poverty among older people in the EU. In some instances, such as the failure to address appalling standards in some nursing homes, vulnerable older persons' welfare continues to be ignored," he said. "The Green Party believes that older people deserve better."
This week is Positive Ageing week. A major conference organised by Age Action Ireland at Croke Park yesterday heard that 11 per cent of the population is now over the age of 65. Although this is low by European standards, the proportion is growing.
Minister for Health Mary Harney told delegates ageism was "rampant" in Irish society and that there were inadequate supports and services for older people due to lack of investment in the past.
The president of the Human Rights Commission, Dr Maurice Manning, said some of the worst abuses of human rights in this country were committed against older people.
Niall Crowley, chief executive of the Equality Authority, said allegations of discrimination on grounds of age made up 23 per cent of the authority's case files under the Employment Equality Acts.