Kilcock, a Kildare town on the border with Meath, recorded 8,674 residents at the last census. 5.9% of them, 509 people, were 65 or older. 6,049 over-65s in County Kildare live on their own, 21.5% of those in private households and 4.4 points below the national 25.9%. Between 2016 and 2022 the 65+ population of County Kildare grew from 22,014 to 29,720, a rise of 35.0%. 1.1% of residents rated their health as bad or very bad, and 335 people (3.9%) provide regular unpaid care.
This part of the country comes under HSE Dublin and Midlands (Kildare, West Wicklow area). Families and providers seeking HSE home support hours deal with the HSE Home Support Office for Dublin South City, South West and West (also Kildare and West Wicklow) (Junction House, Kilnamanagh-Tymon Primary Care Centre, Airton Road, Tallaght D24 CF75, telephone 01 921 4718). For a doctor after hours, callers go through KDOC. We found 16 home care provider offices listed in County Kildare, from 16 names. Providers on the list include Dovida, Bluebird Care, Caremark, Comfort Keepers and Right at Home. In a growing commuter town the pressure on rotas rises with the older population.
For hospital discharges the closest acute sites on the HSE list are Connolly Hospital Blanchardstown and Naas General Hospital. Where a client's needs turn to palliative care, the local starting point is St Brigid's Hospice Kildare and Kildare and West Wicklow Community Specialist Palliative Care Team. Fewer than most places, perhaps, but the older residents here are the ones whose families are least likely to be nearby. A town of 8,674 people near a larger centre often shares carers with its neighbours, so the rota is rarely confined to one set of streets.