ALONE

Last updated
ALONE
AbbreviationALONE
Formation1977
Legal statusCharity
PurposeSupport of vulnerable older people
Location
  • Ireland
Region served
Ireland
CEO
Sean Moynihan
Website http://www.alone.ie

ALONE is a charity organization in Ireland which was set-up to highlight the issues facing older people living alone. Founded in 1977 by Willie Bermingham, [1] the charity seeks to help elderly people living on their own who may feel isolated and lonely, and to "connect [them] with the necessary support services in their community". [2] The name ALONE in an acronym of the words "A Little Offering Never Ends". [3]

Contents

ALONE states that it "works with the 1 in 5 older people who are homeless, socially isolated, living in deprivation or in crisis". [4] The charity provides supportive housing, "befriending" services, community response and campaigning services to older people. [5]

Within Glasnevin Cemetery, the Alone Millenium Plot is used by the charity to bury older people who died without family or other provisions for burial. [6] In 2017 Alone celebrated its 40-year anniversary. [3]

History

In 1976, during a very cold spell that spanned a number of weeks, 8 older people were found dead in their Dublin homes.

Willie Bermingham (1942–90) – a Dublin fireman who discovered the remains of some of these people [7] – and a number of his friends, distributed posters to highlight that a section of over-60s in Dublin were suffering cold, hunger, loneliness, depression and illness and dying alone. These volunteers began to collect and distribute donations of food, fuel, clothing and furniture. They initiated a "search that building" campaign and sought to draw attention to the conditions in which some older people lived, in derelict city-centre buildings. [8]

ALONE's first housing complex was built in 1986 ("ALONE Walk" in Artane) and the second ("Willie Bermingham Place" in Kilmainham) was opened in 1990. Including these purpose built units, by the early 21st century, ALONE owned and maintained approximately 100 homes for elderly residents. [8]

Today

2013 saw demand of ALONEs services triple over previous years. [9]

In August 2014, a charity single in aid of ALONE was released by Dublin Labour councillor Dermot Lacey. The song The Ballad of Rosie Hackett was written by Lacey to commemorate the opening of the Rosie Hackett Bridge. [10]

In 2014 and 2016, ALONE campaigns focused on the length of waiting lists for nursing home places, [11] [12] and on the effects of austerity on older people. [13]

In 2017, ALONE celebrated its 40th anniversary and a book was launched to document its history. [14]

Related Research Articles

Focus Ireland

Focus Ireland is a nonprofit organisation based in Dublin, Ireland that provides services for people who are homeless and people at risk of homelessness in Ireland. It was founded by Sister Stanislaus Kennedy in 1985, and is one of the largest housing and homelessness organisations in Ireland. It provides services in Dublin, Cork, Limerick, Kilkenny, Sligo, Kildare, Carlow, Tipperary, Wexford and Waterford.

William Paul Colton, known as Paul Colton, is the Church of Ireland's Bishop of Cork, Cloyne and Ross. He is perhaps best known for being the bishop who officiated at the wedding of footballer David Beckham and Spice Girl Victoria Adams on 4 July 1999 at the medieval Luttrellstown Castle on the outskirts of Dublin.

Suas Educational Development is a secular registered charity in Ireland. Its goal is to tackle educational disadvantage in India, Kenya and Ireland and has an ethos of youth development. Suas was founded by a group of students from Trinity College Dublin in 2002, and as of 2018 had a reported annual income of over €1.2m. Suas partners with several education NGOs in the developing world, in particular in India and Kenya, in order to provide education to underprivileged youth.

Ian Bermingham Irish professional footballer

Ian Bermingham, is an Irish professional footballer currently playing his twelfth season with League of Ireland club, St Patricks Athletic, where he is the club's all time appearance record holder. He previously spent two years at UCD and a year at Shamrock Rovers.

Willie Bermingham was an Irish firefighter and campaigner, who founded A.L.O.N.E., an organisation highlighting the plight of old people living alone.

Catholic University School Private school in Ireland

Catholic University School(C.U.S.) is a private school for boys in Dublin, Ireland. The school was founded in 1867 by St. John Henry Newman and Bartholomew Woodlock as a preparatory school for the Catholic University of Ireland, the predecessor to University College Dublin.

National Party (Ireland, 2016) Irish political party

The National Party is a minor far-right nationalist political party in Ireland. The party was founded in November 2016 and has no elected representatives.

Averil Power Former Irish politician from Dublin, Ireland

Averil Denise Power is an Irish former politician who served as a Senator for the Industrial and Commercial Panel from 2011 to 2016. She first held office as a member of Fianna Fáil, but left the party in 2015 and sat in the Seanad as an Independent for the rest of her term. She stood as an independent candidate for Dáil Éireann at the 2016 general election, but was not elected.

National Benevolent Fund for the Aged

The National Benevolent Fund for the Aged was registered as a charity in 1957 and became NBFA Assisting the Elderly in 2012. Working across the United Kingdom it provided support for isolated, marginalised and lonely older people on low incomes until 2015 when it closed operations, merging its remaining funds and assets with the charity Contact the Elderly.

The Rehab Group is an international not-for-profit organisation providing health and social care, training and education, rehabilitation, employment and commercial services. Operating primarily in Ireland and the United Kingdom, it was originally established in 1949 as the Rehabilitation Institute, and provided training services to people with tuberculosis. In 2014 and 2015, a number of controversies involving the Rehab Group resulted in the resignation of the organisation's then CEO, a reduction in donations to several charities, and changes to the regulation of charities in Ireland.

Rosie Hackett Bridge

The Rosie Hackett Bridge is a road and tram bridge in Dublin, Ireland, which opened on 20 May 2014. Spanning the River Liffey and joining Marlborough Street to Hawkins Street, it is used solely by public transport, taxis, cyclists and pedestrians. It is 26 metres wide and 48 metres long, and is a single span, smooth concrete structure, with the underside of the bridge designed to be as high above the water as possible so that river traffic is not impeded. It was built to carry the extended Luas Green line, and was budgeted at €15 million. It is named for trade unionist Rosie Hackett.

Rosanna "Rosie" Hackett was an Irish insurgent and trade union leader. She was a founder-member of the Irish Women Workers' Union, and supported strikers during the 1913 Dublin Lockout. She later became a member of the Irish Citizen Army and was involved in the 1916 Easter Rising. In the 1970s, the labour movement awarded Hackett a gold medal for decades of service, and in 2014 a Dublin city bridge was named in her memory.

The Silver Line Free confidential telephone helpline offering information, friendship and advice to older people in the United Kingdom

The Silver Line is a free confidential telephone helpline offering information, friendship and advice to older people in the United Kingdom, available 24 hours a day. As of 1 October 2019 The Silver Line joined forces with Age UK to help more of the older people who are struggling with loneliness and isolation. The Silver Line is a subsidiary of Age UK and still has its own brand, registered charity number, Board of Trustees and CEO.

The Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions is the principal public agency for conducting criminal prosecutions in the Republic of Ireland. It is led by the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Events during the year 2016 in Ireland.

Alan McGuckian

Alexander Aloysius "Alan" McGuckian SJ is an Irish Roman Catholic bishop and Jesuit. Since 2017, he has been the Bishop of Raphoe. He is Ireland's first Jesuit bishop.

Sinéad Goldrick Dublin senior ladies footballer

Sinéad Goldrick is a senior Dublin ladies' footballer. She captained Dublin in the 2014 All-Ireland Senior Ladies' Football Championship Final and was a member of the Dublin teams that won the All-Ireland Senior Ladies' Football Championship in 2017, 2018 and 2019. She was also a member of the Dublin team that won the 2018 Ladies' National Football League. In 2019 she won her seventh All Star award. During the 2010s she was also a prominent member of the Foxrock–Cabinteely team that won Dublin and Leinster titles and played in All-Ireland finals. In October 2019 it was announced that Goldrick has agreed to play for Melbourne Football Club of the AFLW in 2020.

Lyndsey Davey is a senior Dublin ladies' footballer. She was a member of the Dublin teams that won the All-Ireland Senior Ladies' Football Championship in 2010, 2017, 2018 and 2019. She captained Dublin in 2015. She was also a member of the Dublin team that won the 2018 Ladies' National Football League. In 2019 she received her fifth All Star award. She won her first All Star in 2005 at the age of 15.

Erica Cody is an Irish R&B singer-songwriter.

Miriam O'Regan is an Irish lawyer who has been a Judge of the High Court since January 2016.

References

  1. ↑ "Alone marks 40 years aiding elderly through charitable work". Irish Times. 25 May 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2018.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  2. ↑ "Government needs to listen to the organisations working on a day-to-day basis with older people". Alone.ie. Retrieved 6 October 2016.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  3. 1 2 "The 40-year-old charity that ensures no-one dies alone and poor". Irish Examiner. 23 November 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2018.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  4. ↑ "ALONE". Alone.ie. Retrieved 8 June 2016.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  5. ↑ "Essential websites for older people - Handicare Guide". Ageukmobility.co.uk. Retrieved 8 June 2016.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  6. ↑ "Charity for older people celebrates 35 years". The Journal. July 2012. Retrieved 24 October 2018.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  7. ↑ "Tara Street fire station to be renamed after ALONE founder Willie Bermingham". The Journal. 16 January 2014. Retrieved 24 October 2018.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  8. 1 2 "Our History & Culture". Alone.ie. 2 April 2015. Retrieved 8 June 2016.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  9. ↑ "Trebling in referrals of isolated and lonely older people to housing charity". Irishexaminer.ie. Retrieved 8 June 2016.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  10. ↑ "ALONE charity single for elderly launched - Catholicireland.net". Catholicireland.net. 18 August 2014. Retrieved 8 June 2016.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  11. ↑ "One News Web: ALONE criticises delays in Fair Deal scheme". Rte.ie. Retrieved 8 June 2016.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  12. ↑ Ryan, Órla. "Nursing home waiting lists are 'spiralling out of control'". Thejournal.ie. Retrieved 8 June 2016.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  13. ↑ "ALONE: Water charges will offset any Budget gains for older people". Irishexaminer.com. Retrieved 8 June 2016.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
  14. ↑ "Valerie documents the history of ALONE". Independent News & Media. 18 November 2017. Retrieved 24 October 2018.CS1 maint: discouraged parameter (link)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.