Ageing in humanitarian crises - now is not the time to turn our backs on those most in need

In light of recent government decisions to reduce international development assistance, Age International Policy Advisor Katie Jakeman explores what this means for older people in humanitarian crises.

The UK Government’s announcement to cut UK Official Development Assistance (ODA) by 40% will have devastating consequences for millions at risk of humanitarian crises around the world, including older people. With the US Government suspending its own development assistance, the timing could not have been worse.

The UK Government’s decision will see UK aid reduced to its lowest level in over 25 years, and those who are already most marginalised will likely bear the brunt. When ODA was last reduced in 2020, the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) acknowledged in their 2023-24 Equality Impact Assessment that inclusion programmes for older people and people with disabilities had been terminated. It is hard to imagine that they will fare better under the new cuts.

From conflicts to climate-related disasters, older people are often forgotten by the international community in times of crisis. They face unique challenges like inaccessible or inappropriate healthcare, lack of food supplies suitable for older age, and an absence of assistive devices such as eyeglasses, wheelchairs or hearing aids that can help them remain active members of their families and communities. Many older people in humanitarian contexts find themselves at grave risk of hunger, poor health and isolation.

Whenever we consider the humanitarian response in relation to older people, it is important to recognise that ageism is prevalent. It’s there in the way we treat older people as passive recipients of aid, or not worth the effort, rather than valuable contributors to their communities. This perception means older people continue to be neglected across humanitarian responses.

As governments including the US – and now the UK - step back from their international obligations, we must remember the humanitarian imperative to help those most in need and recognise how older people are disproportionately affected. Now, more than ever, we need a humanitarian system which is fair and truly inclusive, to prevent older people - and others at risk such as people living with disabilities - from being left behind.

Exactly five years ago, in 2020, Age International and HelpAge International published the groundbreaking report, ‘If not now, when?’, which exposed the ongoing neglect of older people by humanitarian organisations. It highlighted the immense scale of unmet need within this age group.

The report urged humanitarian organisations, donors and United Nations (UN) agencies to include older people in response planning, and to gather robust data to better understand their needs. However, five years on, progress has been painfully slow and the number of older people needing humanitarian support has reached record levels. Despite being the fastest-growing age group globally, older people’s specific needs often remain overlooked.

Where health is concerned, there are many ways in which older people’s rights are being undermined. For example, they often have difficulty accessing health care or support, due to a lack of mobility or being unable to stand in long queues. Essential treatment and medicines may be unavailable or inappropriate for the health needs of an older person. Staff may lack the right training to provide even basic care for older people. Treatment for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) – such as diabetes and dementia, which are increasingly common in older people - is often overlooked.

Older women, in particular, face greater financial insecurity and social exclusion during crises. In Ukraine, for example, 61% of older women don’t have enough money to cover their basic needs, compared to 46% of men, and they are less likely to receive a pension. Similarly, during the 2022 Pakistan floods, older women were less likely to obtain essential assistive devices like glasses and walking sticks. 

Despite these ongoing challenges, we do see some signs of progress. The Age and Disability Capacity Programme’s ‘Humanitarian inclusion standards for older people and people with disabilities’ are being adopted by more organisations to ensure meaningful participation, access, safety and dignity during humanitarian responses.

In this time of diminishing funding, systemic change is urgently needed to improve the situation for older people in humanitarian crises. Older people must be involved in the design and delivery of emergency response programmes, and pervasive ageism throughout the humanitarian system must be addressed. One transformative step would be the creation of a new UN Convention on the Rights of Older Persons. This would set clear guidelines for governments to ensure older people’s voices are heard and their needs are met during crises. It would help fill a significant gap in the current system, which often overlooks older people.

The UK’s decision to reduce development assistance when humanitarian needs are rising is short-sighted, and is likely to put many more older people and their families at risk. Now is not the time to turn our backs on those who are most in need. Stronger policy and planning, targeted funding, and a commitment to inclusivity can reform the humanitarian system so that it serves everyone. Let’s focus our efforts, as a matter of urgency, on moving towards a future in which older people are no longer forgotten in crises.

Age International is a member of the Disasters Emergency Committee (DEC). We are the only UK-based charity focused on the needs of older people in low and middle-income countries. We are currently working with our partners in humanitarian crises across the world to expand our life-saving emergency support, including essential medication, assistive products such as walking sticks, and food packages for older people.