Age Action Care and Repair Programme

The programme, developed by Age Action Ireland, currently operates on a pilot basis in Dublin (in postal districts Dublin 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 7, 8, and 12) and in Galway City.

The service works to improve the quality of life of all older people and their carers - especially those who are most disadvantaged and vulnerable - by enabling them to live full, independent and satisfying lives for as long as they wish in their own homes.

The Care and Repair Programme consists of four services:

1. The Repair Service uses a pool of volunteers and handypersons to carry out small repairs and to complete minor home tasks for older people. The most common services required by older people are:
- Minor gardening (e.g. mowing lawns)
- Minor home decorating (e.g. interior painting)
- Installing handrails
- Tacking down carpets
- Changing plugs, fuses and light bulbs
- Installing security locks and chains
- Hanging curtains
- Installing domestic smoke alarms.

2. The Trades Referral Service is an option whereby a register of reliable and honest tradespersons is maintained. Through this means, informed recommendations can be made to older people who may have job requirements which are beyond the scope of the Care and Repair Programme. In this way, clients can have confidence that the prices charged for these larger jobs by professional tradespeople will be reasonable and that the service provided will be of a high standard.

3. The QuoteCheck service is a service whereby an experienced volunteer visits the older person’s home, assesses a large job and gives an informed opinion about the quotations which have been received by the client from professional tradespersons. QuoteCheck gives the older person peace of mind and the assurance that the prices being quoted do not constitute a “rip off”.

4. The Care Service is a home visiting or befriending service using volunteers to provide social contact to older people who are at risk of isolation in their own homes.