Older People in Disasters and Humanitarian Crises: Guidelines for Best Practices

Purpose

The guidelines in this document give examples of key approaches and actions that could help the humanitarian community reduce the vulnerability associated with ageing. They also suggest ways to enhance the capacities and contribution of older people in emergencies.

The guidelines also explore the wider issues relating to older people in humanitarian crises. These range from globally agreed principles of social and civil practice and global demographic changes, to the physical impact of the ageing process, common images and assumptions held about older people, the key problems they face, and the gender dimensions of their needs.

Overview

  • The guidelines include: addressing older people’s needs; meeting basic needs; mobility; equal access to essential services; social, psychosocial and family needs; and recognise and support the contributions of older people.
  • Sample checklists to assess older people’s needs in emergencies are shown in pp. 22-24.

 

Usage: Guidance for project implementation

Audiences: Technical staff

Reference: HelpAge International (2008). Older people in disaster and humanitarian crises: Guideline for best practices. Pp 1-25. Available from: http://www.helpage.org/silo/files/older-people-in-disasters-and-humanitairan-crises-guidelines-for-best-practice.pdf [Accessed: 21st September 2016]

 

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Older People in Emergencies – Identifying and Reducing Risks

Purpose

This document systematically reviews the main risks older people are exposed to in emergency situations. For each risk, the document also lists simple measures that can be taken within the standard programming and funding parameters of humanitarian organisations to reduce risks for older people in emergencies.

Overview

The document identifies risks in nine categories:

  1. General concerns: worsening of pre-existing marginalisation and exclusion; invisibility to humanitarian actors.
  2. Protection: not being able to leave home or IDP/refugee camps even if one wants to; being separated from family or community; being a victim of abuse; having to care for children; having housing, land and properties rights ignored; and being excluded by communal shelters.
  3. Food: not being registered for this, and having difficulties reaching the food distribution point or market; having difficulties at the food distribution point; and transporting the food home; not receiving an equal share of food within the family; and having inappropriate food.
  4. Non-food items: not having enough warm clothes /blankets; or culturally acceptable clothes; and not being included in NFI distribution lists.
  5. Shelter: not being automatically given shelter by family; having inaccessible shelter; having to sleep on cold, hard or damp surfaces; not having proper gender separation; and being grouped with unknown people.
  6. WASH: not being included in and having difficulties reaching water distribution points; having difficulties transporting water back home; having difficulties reaching and using sanitation facilities; and having difficulties disposing of waste.
  7. Nutrition: having malnutrition unchecked and untreated.
  8. Health: being more subject to ill health or injury; having difficulties accessing health services; inappropriate health services; and difficulties accessing psychological support.
  9. Recovery: being excluded from rehabilitation and livelihood projects; and not being able to earn a living

 

Usage: Guidance for project implementation

Audiences: Technical staff

Reference: HelpAge International (May 2012). Older people in emergencies – Identifying and reducing risks. Pp. 2-13. Available from: http://www.helpage.org/silo/files/older-people-in-emergencies–identifying-and-reducing-risks.pdf [Accessed: 21st September 2016]

 

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Protecting Older People in Emergencies: Good Practice Guide

Purpose

This briefing draws on 14 field projects to highlight common challenges of supporting older people. Eleven of the case studies summarise the key challenges and most effective responses that the experts identified during their visits. The three remaining case studies – from Darfur, the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Zimbabwe – draw on HelpAge’s own work in the field.

All the case studies demonstrate practical approaches that will help agencies increase the age-friendliness of their programming and make sure older people play an active role in their responses.

The overall aim of this good practice guide is to communicate ‘what works’, within a range of contexts, in order to promote protection initiatives for older people in emergencies that are truly inclusive.

Overview

  • This guide focuses on working practice in the following areas of humanitarian response: accessible shelter and latrines; livelihood support; access to food and accurate registration; strengthening family and community structures; better use of disaggregated data; appropriate healthcare; and mainstreaming age across clusters.
  • The examples of good practices shown in the guide have two key common elements: consultation with older people themselves and an appreciation that older people can play a vital role in developing and implementing their own solutions to the challenges they face.

Usage: Guidance for project implementation

Audiences: Technical staff

Reference: HelpAge International (2012). Protecting older people in emergencies: good practice guide. Pp. 3-8. Available from: http://www.globalprotectioncluster.org/_assets/files/tools_and_guidance/age_gender_diversity/HelpAge_Older_People_Best_Practices_EN.pdf [Accessed: 21st September 2016]

 

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Download: http://www.globalprotectioncluster.org/_assets/files/tools_and_guidance/age_gender_diversity/HelpAge_Older_People_Best_Practices_EN.pdf