The Citizens Assembly is meeting in Malahide, Co Dublin to discuss long-term care and facilitating independent living for an ageing population in Ireland.
The assembly was tasked to consider how Ireland best responds to the challenges and opportunities of an ageing population.
Today is the first of two meetings of the assembly on this topic.
According to figures from the Central Statistics Office, there will be one million people aged 65 and older living in Ireland by 2031.
Members of the assembly will hear the voices of older people and their personal experiences.
They will also hear presentations from medical, statistical and social care practitioners.
The remainder of the weekend will be given over to development of the work programme for the following weekend and initial consideration of recommendations that may be made to the Houses of the Oireachtas.
Chairperson of the Citizens' Assembly, Ms Justice Mary Laffoy said: "The Challenges and Opportunities of an Ageing Population' is an exceptionally broad topic therefore to ensure that the Assembly can, as it should, add to debate and to policy discourse in a meaningful way, it was decided that for this first weekend we would focus our attentions on considering long term care and facilitating independent living in Ireland.
"This topic also allows us to consider the topic of ageing in a wider sense as so many aspects of a person's life may be inhibited or enhanced by where and how they are living.
"As part of this discussion and to aid our understanding of current practise in Ireland we will also be hearing first hand from older people in care or living independently.
"I firmly believe there is much value in pausing and truly listening to the experiences of others to gain perspectives and I would encourage people, young and old, to listen to what they have to say."
The assembly received 120 submissions on the topic of 'Challenges and Opportunities of an Ageing Population,' from members of the public and representative groups.
