Mountmellick, a Laois market town between Portlaoise and Portarlington, recorded 4,905 residents at the last census. 13.6% of them, 666 people, were 65 or older. County Laois had 24.7% more people aged 65 or over in 2022 than in 2016 (9,608 then, 11,978 now), 2.9 points above the national rise of 22%. In the town itself, 1,398 people (28.5%) reported a disability and 279 (5.7%) gave regular unpaid care to someone. Across the county, 2,835 older people live alone, 24.7% of the age group in private households (in line with the national 25.9%).
This town is in the Midlands Integrated Health Area, which spans Laois, Offaly, Longford and Westmeath in HSE Dublin and Midlands. For GP cover at night the Midlands co-op is MIDOC, with posts at Mullingar, Athlone, Tullamore, Portlaoise, Edenderry and Longford. The HSE Home Support Office in Laois is at St Vincent's Community Nursing Unit, Mountmellick R32 HK85 (057 935 9575). Our research lists 3 home care provider offices in County Laois, run by 3 providers. Names on our list for the county include Bluebird Care, Caremark and Connected Health. Hettie writes every call up in plain language, so a coordinator who covers two counties sees the whole night in one summary.
Midland Regional Hospital Portlaoise is the acute hospital on the HSE list closest to the area. Specialist palliative care comes through Laois and Offaly Community Specialist Palliative Care Team. Portlaoise is 9 km away and Portarlington is 10 km, which for an agency on the Midlands rota is a single working area. The town's 666 residents aged 65 or over are a short drive from the next town's, so an agency often serves both.