Letterkenny, the largest town in Donegal, recorded 22,549 residents at the last census. 12.1% of them, 2,720 people, were 65 or older. In County Donegal, 29,623 people are 65 or over, 17.7% of the county, and growth in that age group ranks 25th of the 26 counties. 27.8% of people aged 65 and over in private households in County Donegal live alone (7,734 people), 1.9 points above the national 25.9%. 23.0% of people living here have a disability and 5.1% are carers, according to Census 2022 (5,190 and 1,157 people).
The HSE structure here is HSE West and North West (Donegal area). A provider here deals with the HSE Home Support Office in Donegal, which you can reach on 074 910 4775 at St Conal's Hospital, Letterkenny F92 FW6Y. GP out of hours here means Nowdoc. On the October 2026 lists, County Donegal shows 6 provider offices and 6 distinct names. Providers with an office here include Dovida, Bluebird Care and Platinum Home Care, with Brindley Healthcare Services Ltd also on the list for the county. Sligo is 89 km away in a straight line, which is further than it sounds on a night rota.
On the HSE hospital list, the acute site for the area is Letterkenny University Hospital. Donegal Hospice and Donegal Community Specialist Palliative Care Team cover specialist palliative care for the area. A rural rota can have one carer covering a long loop of roads. When that carer is late, clients ring, and Hettie can take those calls so the carer can keep driving. Distance is the practical problem for a rural agency. A nurse who is already an hour from the next client cannot also be the first person to pick up the phone. The Gaeltacht areas of County Donegal (Gaoth Dobhair and Cloch Cheann Fhaola) are worth a mention: if your clients there speak Irish, raise it with us at the demo.