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THE FIRST SIX months of 2014 have seen more than 12,000 calls made to the Senior Help Line by older people in need of assistance.
The high number of calls is thought to be down to new challenges being faced by older people in Ireland.
The way in which older people relate to their families was cited as a central reason for the calls.
Where traditionally, families would have looked after the elderly, structures have now changed, and a distancing from older people can occur as they are seen to be an inconvenience.
Isolation and loneliness were also a factors for those getting in contact with the helpline.
Speaking to TheJournal.ie Spokesperson for Senior Help Line Anne Dempsey said:
If you are older and living on your own, fears can multiply…We have seen an increase of calls year on year, especially since the downturn. When we think of the downturn we don’t think of old people in the same way as the unemployed, but they struggle too.
Some of things said to the helpline over the six month period have included:
The Senior Help Line is managed by community organisation Third Age. On the difficulties faced by older people Third Age CEO Aine Brady said:
Many older people find themselves alone and isolated. With no one to share a burden or a moment of laughter. We invite any older person who is worried about issues concerning health, family, loneliness or any other matter to call us.
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I know what my nephews and nieces would be getting if they said that to me. Good kick in the arse!
It needs to be done respectfully and in a manner to avoid large inheritance tax. If the relationship is good, and there will be no shocks come probable time, why not save your kids some money and and start leaching the estate into their bank account slowly. Otherwise, it’s inheritance tax people!! Possibly a tax worse than USC in the way it makes us feel!!
Yep, and the ISPCA would be in line for an unexpected windfall at my relatives’ expense.
Probable = probate
Gavin,
I’m having your family investigated by Revenue.
Cheers for the tip off.
Lol. Don’t have a family. Off the hook!!
Wow, no wonder FG are in power. The tax party has many obedient, tax-loving followers.
Gavin inheritance tax, whether we like it or not, is a tax. Just like your PAYE and USC is a tax. There is no difference in how they are viewed. Now before I go any further – do I agree with inheritance tax. No. Do I think it’s double taxation. Yes. But it is a tax none the less. To suggest that you should approach your living relative in any way to request your inheritance while they’re alive is insensitive and avaricious. If someone is lucky enough to be left something they should accept it with grace when the time comes. I tried to buy a house recently where the seller suggested they add an additional 30k onto the sale price to cover THEIR capital gains tax. The attitude towards tax in this country astounds me!
Actually they’d still have to pay a tax on what they received as it would be deemed a “gift” and gifts over a certain amount attract tax depending on your relationship to the person. In fact the inheritance tax and the gift tax are based on the same amounts and relationships. So in reality there is no help in disposing of the assets to anyone prior to your death to save them on money.
I have a better idea,why not enjoy the fruits of your life long work first and if there is still some left leave it to family members who have earned it, if you cant find any, give to a worthwhile charity like cancer research,the old saying eaten bread is soon forgotten is still relevant.
If yr looking after them or are going to be in the future they should pay there nieces now so as an investment after all they have a responsibility to the younger family members !
Thank you Susan, so much misinformation going on here which is completely unlike an open forum on the internet which are usually 100% reliable.
So disgraceful the way some people have such a sense of entitlement..
My own cousin spent his fathers life savings of around €40,000 before he died. The son needed it for various enterprises (drink and nice cars). I have the misfortune to be living near my least favourite cousin and he never fails to amaze me with his selfishness. Going so far as to tell me that i shouldnt be disciplining my children (ie grounding them etc) as its unfair. I’ve told him to m.y.o.b. many times. But he cannot help himself.
He is a nasty piece of work. That goes for anyone who abuses the elderly
I’d threaten them with leaving it all to the dogs home so it’d go to b*tches who actually deserve it
tbh now, i myself and i think a lot of people would rather hand over inheritance if close to death sooner than let greedy paws get their feed off the tax and soliciting fees. its not their money or their business.
I want my parents, uncles and aunts spend their money not leave it to me, they struggled too to get where they are today and deserve to live out there retirement in comfort and not be worrying about what to leave me and how much inheritance tax I pay.
Obey the system and it will always look out for the greater good of the people *sarcasm
Well said Linda, I would feel the same, my parents already sank a large enough proportion of their earnings into me – to go demanding money from them would just be wrong. Even when they have offered me money I have been reluctant to take it, and usually got it back to them one way or another..
Sadly I’m not surprised about the fact that some people treat their parents this way. I have seen it myself, a son who barely spent an hour with his mother in the course of a year expecting everything to be left to him even though his sister had been caring for their mother at home for several years. Was always looking for loans he never paid back as well.. Contested the will and everything..
The last thing I’d be worried about if I was dead or dying would probably be inheritance tax!
IPF – in some ways that’s very negligent too. You can reduce a loved one’s inheritance tax by taking out an assurance policy that will cover their tax bill.
That way the disponer’s estate can be passed on towards the beneficiary with reduced costs.
I of the same opinion as Linda. I want my father to enjoy the last part of his life with whatever cash he has left. I have just been reviewing my own arrangements and updating my will lately . Anyone tries to pressure me they get nought. Simple as.
Spot on Linda – having lost both my parents within a short time of each other, us kids were glad to see there were no substantial inheritance. But, what was left was used on a weekend away for us 5 kids with partners & kids all paid for- it was a brilliant weekend and brought more memories than money can ever bring…
Old people have suffered enough hardship and deserve to live in peace without being concerned about pleasing everyone – and frankly, the first benefactor for any inheritance should be immediate family – uncles, nieces, nephews are way down the pecking order in my eyes…
You can never “demand” anything respectfully!
I’ve a neighbour who sold her house to her kids for a very low price. She’s 84. They told her they want more money for housekeeping. Imagine charging your own mother to stay in her house. Some people have no sense of decency or morality.
That’s disgraceful Zozimus.. They should be glad their mortgage isn’t substantially higher and cop on to themselves!
I agree with Gavin. Why should we pay double for money that has already been taxed? Just because in the law it doesn’t make it right, its just a bunch of people squeezing the extra euro out of you. Im surprised how people here are red thumbing him. I will definitely do the same if I was elderly and had family I liked enough to leave money too.
Give em a few grand every month…what, I cant give away money the way I like to ? Soon they’ll be attaching a sensor to tax us every time we carry out bodily functions. You agree to that too ? As it is they are charging us on water, what next.
There are laws, just laws, and oppressive laws.
You do realise why these laws exist right?
Otherwise what’s to stop crime bosses “giving away” money to keep it out of the hands of CAB? Same goes for all the bankers everyone hates so much..
Depends on how much and over what length of time if tax is due, should the person giving the gift die soon after there could be a tax liability.
Disinherit them and go on a holiday to Crete and find a toyboy
Daniel Carry don’t be giving me ideas lol
If any one demands inheritance, unless its to save a family members life with an operation, it’ll be donated to a dogs home!
Sure what do you expect. Modern life with a lot of help from social media has made this world into a pursuit of self interest
I like to think of it as iCulture – I am so great I am the centre of the universe.
The neices and nephews demaning inheritance need a swift back hander or cut out of the will or both.
yea thats bad form, but many actually do offer it to their sons and daughters etc before they die. they’re smart me thinks.
Thats ok, if there is a dialogue about it thats fine for taxes etc. But if anybody ‘demanded’ something from my will they would be swiftly getting nothing.
Heartbreaking stuff :-(
it seems to be a national sport here , it happened to one of my neighbours , elderly brother and sister living in the same house , sister owned the house , one of the “family” got the sister to change the will so that the bother would only get a third of the house even though she had a brain degenerative disease. Luckily he didn’t budge but when he had to go into care it was 2010 so they ended up selling during the recession so there was some karma at work
Greedy b*stards!
Inheritance is a gift, not a birth right. If I get anything from any family member I will be eternally grateful. My parents and some extended family have helped make me who I am. They have clothed, fed and educated me to masters level. I owe them, not the other way round.
Don’t let them get power of attorney. They’ll spend it all before you die
And put me in a home somewhere? Determine who I can/can’t see, what I wear, inspect my personal papers, spend my money as the attorney would believe I would have wished, dispose of my property?
No, that’d never happen in Ireland without proper communication with all affected parties.
Enduring power of attorney is a great device when treated with respect.
I’m following instructions from my client
I’m spending whatever I have on coke and hookers kids will get nada off me
my mother in law has her ‘ski’ club, spend the kids inheritance, great lady
Remember those mortgage ads where they were encouraging spendthrift, entitled Tiger cubs to get their parents to cover the deposit with their future inheritance? Oh how we laughed in (ex corpo) Casa Chainsaw! “Mummay, Dadday… Can I hov moy inhoritonce now, roysh?”
I want my parents to go to their eventual graves broke, after spending every penny living well. They sacrificed enough for me and the other little Chainsaws when we were growing up.
The cheek of the nieces and nephews who prob don’t see there aunty from one year to nxt surely their own children would get the inheritance not the bleeding family who come out of the woodwork when they get a sniff of money!!
If peoples children are putting pressure on them for inheritance, then maybe that’s your fault as you bloody raised them?
Who raises their nieces and nephews?
I’m not talking about their nieces and nephews. I’m talking about their own children.
The article mentions nieces and nephews looking for inheritance
Yes I know, I read it., But I’m still not talking about nieces and nephews. I’m talking about their own children. It’s common where elder abuse is concerned to have children demanding inheritance too.
Good people can have bad kids. Those comments above stretch the “blame the victim” narrative way too far.
Or is there a new-found, widespread sense of entitlement these days acting as a contributory factor?
Good people can raise bad kids, every family has one that you can’t believe came from the same family! One of my brothers is a case in point, bitter, lazy, selfish and money hungry! Opposite of the rest of us all raised under the same roof.
If your sister or brother marries a solicitor, beware of the family jewels.
This can’t be right. There are several posters on this forum who never tire of telling us how good old people have it. How they are untouched by the downturn and are all sitting on an immense pile of cash. This article must be rubbish, so.
My ex wife took my kids inheritance. Lovely woman ! ( not)
The little b#stards could go hump themselves, nobody is entitled to anything I have only myself and my wife. With an attitude like that I would see it all burn first!
The greed of some people is shocking and shows a lack of empathy, that greed with erode their soul. I recall my sil and bil, who don’t own a house and couldn’t be bothered saving, commenting that they will buy a house whenever either of their mothers die and they are serious! It shook me to the core. My siblings and i are constantly encouraging our old folks to spend every last penny they have. A neighbour of mine gave his house to the ispca!
Disgusting..
In the photo caption, it says ‘older person’. I wish to ask – older than whom?
I wish it would say ‘elderly person’ or something similar.
The issue is nothing to do with ‘case to case’ private circumstance. The issue is the wealth inequality, the major corruption rampant in all key social institutions and the hyper-wealthy toying with lives like play-do. Get in the streets, public shaming. Hold the corrupt responsible.
I believe you may have a non sequitur in there
The article talks about elderly people feeling lonely and isolated, unable to pay the rent, living in fear and considering suicide, and all anyone here seems to care about is the inheritance tax.
The headlines sure do grab peoples attention.
0 for you, and 0 for you, etc.
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