Social Factors Influencing the Attainment of Longevity in the Irish Centenarian Population

The rise in centenarian populations globally has become an increasingly common event particularly in developed societies and has been attributed to advances in medical, social, political, economic and cultural domains. It is estimated that by the turn of the next century there will be over 25 million centenarians worldwide and so the challenge for society arises in not only supporting older people to live full and meaningful lives but also in preparing future generations for anticipated longevity. In Ireland there is limited data on centenarians. Adopting a mixed methods approach, this research aims understand the Irish centenarian experience of ageing and better inform policymakers in developing strategies that take cognisance of the supports that the older person needs to age well.

Alison Fagan

Alison completed her undergraduate studies in Athlone Institute of Technology where she studied BSc (Hons) in General Nursing. A first for AIT, Alison’s research was shortlisted and ultimately reached the final of the 2019 Higher Education Authority of Ireland’s ‘Making an Impact Competition’ alongside competitors from NUIG, UCD and DCU.