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Stormont appoints new commissioner for older people

Andrew McNair
BBC News NI
NI Executive Office Siobhan Casey has short grey hair and is wearing a dark blue top, pictured against a white background. NI Executive Office
Siobhan Casey is a former director of the charity Age NI

Siobhan Casey has been appointed the new Commissioner for Older People for Northern Ireland

Ms Casey will take up her post on April 7, and occupy it for four years.

She is a former director of the charity Age NI with more than 30 years of experience in the sector.

The former commissioner, Eddie Lynch, stepped down in December after eight years in the role.

First Minister Michelle O'Neill said the Executive Office is confident Ms Casey "will be a strong champion for the rights and needs of older people in the years ahead".

"Older people are at the heart of our families and play a vital role in our communities" as she welcomed Ms Casey to the new role," she said.

"Driving change to improve the wellbeing of older people has been central to Siobhan's work," Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly added.

"I have no doubt she will use her experience to make sure their voices are heard."

Abuse a 'serious issue'

Independent MLA Claire Sugden also welcomed the appointment and expressed her commitment to working closely with Ms Casey to champion the rights and wellbeing of older people.

"This appointment is long overdue and I have consistently raised concerns regarding such," she said in a statement.

"Older people are struggling in light of the cost-of-living crisis and are experiencing unprecedented levels of social isolation. They deserve a strong, independent advocate in place at all times to ensure their concerns are not overlooked."

'I look forward to working closely with the new Commissioner and wish her well as she takes on this vital role.'

Claire Sudgen MLA standing in front of an evergreen hedge like tree. She has long dark hair and is wearing a white to and grey scarf.
In a statement, Sudgen said elderly people often find it difficult to report abuse

Ms Sugden, who chairs an all-party group on ageing, earlier wrote to the Executive Office to call for more to done to tackle abuse of older people.

"Financial, physical and emotional" abuse of older people, is "a serious but often hidden crime", she said.

Sudgen cited a survey by the charity Hourglass which suggested "almost a third of people do not see hitting an older person as a form of abuse".

She added: "Often, older people already find it incredibly difficult to report abuse because the perpetrator is a loved one and they feel a sense of loyalty, or fear".

The MLA has called for a "concerted effort" in "raising awareness, strengthening legal protections, and ensuring proper safeguarding mechanisms are in place".