Opinion: Elderly Largely Ignored in Humanitarian Aid

While people over 60 account for 11 percent of the global population, humanitarian relief efforts very rarely target the needs of the elderly in crisis situations, according to a new study summarized in British daily The Guardian.

Marcus Skinner, the humanitarian policy coordinator for U.K.-based charity HelpAge International, writes that his group’s research found that less than 1 percent of projects submitted last year to the United Nations office that considers and consolidates crisis-relief plans included activities targeting seniors, and fewer than half of those were approved.

Older people in crisis situations are at greater risk of chronic disease and can face challenges obtaining direct aid, such as food deliveries, because of limited mobility or failing hearing or sight, Mr. Skinner says. “Given investments made in the humanitarian system it’s fair to ask why operations continue to neglect the needs of large proportions of the population,” he writes.