Meaningful Consultation

An extensive, meaningful and inclusive consultation process will contain the following elements:

• Provide an opportunity for you to share your views and concerns about positive ageing in Ireland.
• Generate enthusiasm for participation in the consultation and prompt national discussion about ageing and older people.
• Supply clear and transparent terms of reference about how your input will be received and how it will influence the National Positive Ageing Strategy.
• Involve all older people, using methods to include those who find it difficult to attend or participate in public meetings: those who are housebound; in Nursing Homes; lack access to transport; those with disabilities and those from marginalised groups.
• Ensure independent, authoritative and trusted individual(s) chair the public consultation sessions.
• Help participants understand the specific questions and issues to be addressed. Record views and concerns that cannot be addressed in the course of a single meeting.
• Create a consultation process that is accountable to you as a participant; written public feedback to be provided about the responses received and questions asked at the consultation meetings. 
• Involve and inform participants about the ongoing and future development of the strategy and the work of the Cross-Departmental Group which has been established to develop the National Positive Ageing Strategy.

An effective consultation process will ask you to evaluate your experience of the consultation meeting.

• Did it meet your expectations?
• Were the elements listed above accounted for?
• You can ask for your experience of the process to be recorded at the consultation meetings.
• We in Older & Bolder would also like to know how you got on in the meetings.