Older people 'need to be heard' in assisted dying conversation

There needs to be a wider discussion around the issue of assisted dying in Northern Ireland, according to the newly-appointed Commissioner for Older People.

Siobhan Casey said it was a "very divisive" subject but believes opinions should be aired.

Ms Casey, 62, took up the commissioner role in Northern Ireland this week, replacing Eddie Lynch who stepped down in December.

As the youngest of 11 children, she said she is well aware of issues affecting older people as she has siblings in their 60s, 70s and 80s.

In an interview with BBC News NI, she was asked about assisted dying and the fact that it could soon be allowed in England and Wales.

"It's not a conversation that we've had here," she said.

"This is a highly sensitive, very personal, but also a very divisive subject so the conversation needs to be had and older people's voices need to be involved in that.

"But this is not something that is just exclusive to older people."

Asked for her own view, Ms Casey said: "My personal opinion doesn't matter. My role as commissioner for older people is to represent the views of everybody."

She said politicians should be involved in the conversation, and the voices of older people could feed into their discussions

The issue of older car-drivers has attracted attention in recent months after a number of court cases.

In January, 92-year-old man who knocked down and killed an eight-year old schoolgirl was given a suspended sentence.

In March, a woman who was knocked down by a car driven by an elderly driver called for a change in the law. She argued that if you are too old to be sent to jail for a driving offence, you are too old to be behind the wheel in the first place.

The commissioner expressed her sympathy to the families affected by the recent cases.

"In terms of the law, and what should happen going forward, we have got to look at the evidence here in terms of the number of incidents that older drivers are involved in," she said.

She said fitness to drive is about capability not age.

"A lot of people depend on driving to be able to get out, for their livelihoods, to get to social care appointments or to get to social connections. We can't be discriminatory on the basis of age," she said.

Regarding her priorities during her four-year term as commissioner, she said she is going to take time in the coming months to draw up a plan of action, and it is too early to say what will be included.

Ms Casey is a former director of the charity Age NI and describes herself as "62 and proud".

At the commission, older people are defined as aged 60 and over.