A recently published report from the Economic and Social Research Institute has suggested that older people in Ireland have not suffered any significant decline in their health or general well being as a result of the global economic recession.

The new report has indicated that older people in Ireland experienced a 45% decline in net assets and as a result will have to postpone retirement for another few years as a result of this.On a positive note the report has shown that the average income of those over 50 years of age had not been affected by the recession and that they were as happy and as healthy as they were before the economic collapse.

The ESRI report examined the quality of life of people over 50 in this country and found that the average level of well being for those in that age bracket increased during the years from 2006 to 2011. The report showed that the majority of older people said they were still in good health. The report found that while the numbers declaring themselves to be in excellent health had dropped, this was made up by a rise in the numbers reporting good or very good health.

The authors of the report Alan Barrett and Vincent O’Sullivan indicated that although overall wealth fell as a result of the recession, their findings showed that people’s health and spirits remained positive. The report concluded by saying “This could be related to the fact that median income did not appear to fall. The finding is consistent with other international studies, which suggest that any negative impacts of recession on health and well-being may be overstated in popular discussion.”