Syrian refugees: it's even harder if you're old

(Vatican Radio) Over two years of war in Syria have left more than four million people in need of aid.

Amongst them are older men and women and people with disabilities; some of the most vulnerable groups in conflicts.

It is easy to imagine the state of neglect and despair many of them are facing, also thanks to a donor mentality which for many years has tended to overlook these categories in favour of others.

Today, HelpAge International, the humanitarian organization that helps older people claim their rights, challenge discrimination and overcome poverty, is active in the Syrian refugee crisis in offering aid to urban refugees in Jordan and ensuring other agencies include older people in their work in Jordan and Lebanon.

HelpAge International is also strengthened thanks to its work with a global network of like-minded organisations, and a new awareness of the particular needs and challenges faced by older people and people with disabilities that is beginning to be evident in the reports drawn up by massive organisms like the UNHCR.

Vatican Radio’s Linda Bordoni spoke to Claire Catherinet, who is currently working with HelpAge International and with Handicap International in Lebanon.

She says the dramatic problems faced by refugees are amplified for those who are over 60 because of the particular health needs faced by an aging generation…

Listen to the interview…

Catherinet explains that in Lebanon there are no formal refugee camps because the nation did not sign the 1961 Convention for Refugees. That means that the refugees who are in the country are mostly housed in informal tented settlements in unfinished buildings. The few, who can afford to, live in rented apartments.

Catherinet says a UN assessment drawn up in May 2013 on the situation of older people in Lebanon, says there about 2 % of registered refugees over 60 years old – “a tiny part, but not a negligible part”.

She says that for those who have been in the country for a few months or even a year, the situation is really bad “because they were living on their economy for a few months but now nothing is left, so they are in debt. And for older people, livelihood opportunities are completely inexistent, so they are completely reliable on humanitarian assistance”.

But, Catherinet explains, older people have mobility issues or chronic health issues that are such that many are unable to reach registration centers, so they remain invisible to humanitarian organisations.

As well as the fact that lack of information often means older people do not know how to register as refugees and therefore cannot access the services they are entitled to.

She says that UNHCR and some of its partners are implementing a health strategy for registered refugees, according to which they are asked to pay only a small sum for medical consultancies, “But after, to buy the medication they have to pay 100 percent of the amount. So more than 90 percent of the older people cannot afford their medication”

“This means they have to go back to Syria to get their medication, but seeing they are not mobile, they send relatives or neighbors so there is coming and going all the time on the border between Syria and Lebanon to buy medication, because in Lebanon it is not affordable. It is a real problem especially for those affected by chronic diseases”.

Catherinet points out that another prime need is for mobile health units and doctors. At the moment for those who are far from urban settlements, there are huge problems in terms of accessibility.

HelpAge International’s assessments have revealed the severe isolation of many older people in this crisis.

The huge psychosocial impact of displacement on Syrian refugees, especially on older people is also an important factor.

Catherinet speaks of the problem of depression amongst the elderly refugees who face a lot of psychological distress: “The longer you have been subjected to the terrible bombings and situations of a conflict situation, the more vulnerable you are psychologically”. And then – she says – they arrive in a country where they have no livelihood or security, so she says there is an urgent need for psychological support for these people.

Catherinet is optimistic regarding a new awareness that is trickling through within the humanitarian organization apparatus. She says more and more organizations are beginning to raise these points pertaining to the necessities of minority groups like the elderly or the disabled: “like Caritas Lebanon, and the Woman’s Refugee Commission as well of course as HelpAge and Handicap International”.

“There is still a lot of work to do: older people and people with disabilities are always invisible to the eyes of donors”. But Catherinet concludes: “it is becoming one of the priorities… I hope!”