On the 22nd of May 11:00-12:00 CEST, the Housing First Europe Hub held a webinar on ‘Older people and Health issues – What are the benefits and the challenges of Housing First programmes?’.

This webinar was moderated by Juha Kahila chair of the Housing First Europe Hub Community of Practice for Housing First managers and Head of the International affairs at Y-Säätiö.

During this engaging session:

• Laurie O Donell, Research and Advocacy Officer at Focus Ireland, presented “Growing old at Home” – research findings on health outcomes of older tenants in Focus Ireland.
• Dr Eileen Corroon Sweeney, General Adult and Old Age Psychiatrist and the Clinical Lead for the Inclusion Mental Health Team in Dublin South City, presented “No country for old men (or women)” – health outcomes in older peoples in homeless services.

About the speakers:

Laurie O Donell, is a Research and Advocacy Officer at Focus Ireland, experienced on both qualitative and quantitative research methods and co-author of ‘Growing Older at Home: Investigating long-term housing needs of mid-to-later life Focus Housing Association tenants’.

Dr Eileen Corroon Sweeney is a General Adult and Old Age Psychiatrist and the Clinical Lead for the Inclusion Mental Health Team in Dublin South City. She is a Clinical Lecturer at Trinity College, Dublin and is interested in the contribution of early-life trauma to mental illness and social exclusion.

This presentation was followed-up by a discussion that allowed participants to exchange insights and ask questions with fellow attendees!