A new Commissioner for Older People for Northern Ireland has been appointed.
The appointment of Siobhan Casey was announced on Friday by Stormont’s first and deputy first ministers.
Ms Casey has been director of marketing and business development at Age NI and is replacing the outgoing commissioner Eddie Lynch, who announced in December he was stepping down after eight years.
The post was created in 2011 to act as an “independent champion” to safeguard and promote the interests of older people in the north, and Ms Casey is only the third person to hold it.
Her predecessor’s tenure focused on key issues including winter fuel payments, scammers targeting elderly and vulnerable people, and the challenges for older people during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The new commissioner will take up her duties from next month for an initial four-year period.
First Minister Michelle O’Neill said: “Older people are at the heart of our families and play a vital role in our communities and it is important we do everything we can to support them.
“Siobhan has significant experience working with older people and we are confident that she will be a strong champion for their rights and needs in the years ahead.”
Along with her previous post at Age NI, Ms Casey is bringing experience from other roles including the European vice-president of the International Federation on Ageing, and her membership of Age UK’s Services for Older People’s Consortium.
Deputy First Minister Emma Little-Pengelly said: “Older people make a valuable contribution in so many ways and it is only right that we appoint a commissioner who will ensure they have the support and services they need.
“Driving change to improve the wellbeing of older people has been central to Siobhan’s work and I have no doubt she will use her experience to make sure their voices are heard.”
