Health and wellbeing within the GAA is well established and one area which sits within health and wellbeing is the GAA Social Initiative. Established some years ago the idea behind the programme is for GAA clubs to be doing more for the older people in their communities.

In a world where we can instantly link with people online, loneliness is becoming a growing concern, particularly amongst people who have less ability or opportunity to physically meet and interact with people. Older people are one group who are most prone to this phenomenon, and that’s where the GAA Social Initiative hopes to reverse the trend.

Research has determined that loneliness and lack of social connections are as bad for our health as smoking 15 cigarettes per day (Holt-Lunstad, 2015).

Loneliness impacts our physical health as well as our mental health, and results in those who are most lonely being most dependent on the health care system. The research has spoken, but also on a human level we can probably all think of someone who may live alone, or who has little opportunity to interact with their community.

Our GAA clubs are very well-placed to do more to involve the older members of our community. For example, we have good facilities, have a good volunteer-base, and are well connected.

Thus Ulster GAA along with your County Health & Wellbeing Committees are urging clubs to consider what they can do to get involved in the Social Initiative.

So what can clubs do? Clubs have done a variety of things to involve older people. Walking groups are a great way for older people to meet socially while getting some physical activity, and most GAA clubs will have suitable facilities.

If your club has a decent meeting room / social club perhaps activities such as card nights, flower-arranging, music groups could be included. The idea is to ask the people what they would like to get involved in, and then see if the club can facilitate it, whilst following the current government guidelines.

Scotstown GAA ran a very successful “Make Your Ceili” initiative, where people were encouraged to ceili with their elderly neighbours on a regular basis.

Initiated at the turn of the clocks in autumn, it means that people were making a concerted effort to visit the people they always meant to get ceiling with.

This very simple yet effective programme was replicated by a number of clubs in Ulster, and can work in any community. It has been hugely successful in Scotstown and beyond, with not only the older people benefitting, but the entire community feeling more connected.