Purpose -Older people are vulnerable to fuel poverty on the island of Ireland. This paper seeks to explore the lived experiences of older people in cold weather with a view to informing fuel poverty policy and service responses.Design/methodology/approach -A postal and online survey utilising an opportunistic sample of older people living in Ireland and linked with a range of services/community and voluntary groups was undertaken in January-April 2011. Data on the experiences of 722 older people in the cold weather of winter 2010/2011 were analysed in the context of socio-economic, health, and housing circumstances.Findings -During the period of extreme cold weather half of the sample reported that they went without other household necessities due to the cost of home-heating. In general, 62 per cent of those surveyed worried about the cost of home-heating. Homes considered ''too cold'' were more likely to lack central heating and experience damp/draughts. Staying indoors, keeping the heating on, and eating hot food/drinks were common responses to cold weather but a diverse range of behaviours was observed. Associations were observed between living in a cold home and higher levels of chronic illness, falls and loneliness, and fewer social activities.Research limitations/implications -The sample cannot be considered nationally representative; single occupancy and social housing units were overrepresented.Originality/value -This research found significant associations between living in a cold home/difficulty paying for heating, and aspects of ill-health and social exclusion. While no causal association can be assumed, this phenomenon has implications for policies supporting healthy ageing.

This article describes the experiences of twelve Irish couples who had successful IVF treatment in Ireland. Irish Medical guidelines specify that IVF may only be used when no other treatment is likely to be effective. This article is based on data drawn from a longitudinal research study by Cotter (2009) which tells the stories of 34 couples who sought fertility treatment. Initially, the women assumed that they would become pregnant when they stopped using contraception. As a couple, it was the 'right time' for them to have a child--they were ready, socially and financially. For several months they were patient, hoping it would happen naturally. With envy and some despair they watched as their friends had babies. Infertility came as a shock to most of them. They were reluctant to talk about it to anyone, and over time their anxieties were accompanied by feelings of regret, stigma and social exclusion. They finally sought medical treatment. The latter involved a series of diagnostic treatments, which eventually culminated in IVF which offered them a final chance of having a 'child of their own'. While IVF can be clinically assessed in terms of cycle success rates, their stories showed treatment as a series of discoveries, as an extensive range of diagnostic tests and procedures helped to reveal to them where their problems might lie. They described their treatments as a series of sequential 'hurdles' that they had to overcome, which further strengthened their resolve to try IVF. Much more knowledgeable at that stage, they embraced IVF as a final challenge with single minded dedication while drawing on all their psychological and biological resources to promote a successful outcome. Of the 34 couples who took part in the study, twelve got pregnant. Unfortunately, two children died shortly after birth but eighteen babies survived (see Table I). The findings suggest that health policy should raise awareness of infertility, and advise women to become aware of it--just as in the past, when health policy addressed contraception. Increased public knowledge would reduce the stigma attached to the inability to have a baby. In the Irish case, infertility diagnosis should be reviewed with a view to giving eligible couples earlier access to IVF.

No abstract

No abstract