The establishment of this Project Group to develop an action plan for the provision of services for the ill and dependent elderly was both timely, and necessary, and welcomed by the professionals who provide care. As the old age dependency ratio in Ireland increases we, as professionals and service providers, must not alone continue to provide ongoing care in it's current format but, also, must adequately plan to meet the requirements of the future, both immediate and long term.

The many strengths of our current services are outlined in this report; it has also identified the areas of service requiring development and change in order to help the services to reach and maintain their full potential in the care of the aged.

As Chairperson of this Project, I was fortunate to have had the benefit of the experience and support, co-operation of experienced people from a wide range of highly motivated and interested professional and policy making groups, and I have had a very generous response of important submissions from organisations, groups and individuals at both statutory and voluntary level within the region. I would particularly like to thank all the members of the Project Group, and it's various sub-committees, for their diligence, interest and enthusiasm in ensuring the completion of the task in hand.

My special thanks to Mr. Tony Gyves who acted with great energy and efficiency as Secretary/Facilitator and Co-Ordinator, and I am indebted to him for his courtesy, understanding and forbearance shown to me as Chairman.

It has been a pleasure and an honour to have chaired such a group in the preparation of this important and major document.

The report outlines a picture of the future shape of the services and identifies areas of potential Health and Social Gain for the elderly, and sets out priority development needs.

I am confident that this report will have a major positive influence on the service provision for the elderly within the South Eastern Health Board for the foreseeable future.