Ageing in the Twenty-First Century: - HelpAge International

Chapter 2: A fresh look at evidence – Age-friendly environments
Shortage of data
Without the effective use of data disaggregated by age
and sex, the specific needs of older people remain
invisible. However, a study published in 2011 by Tufts
University in the United States found almost no
documented and published cases in which lead agencies
collected age- and sex-disaggregated data properly,
analysed the data in context and used those findings
to influence programming. 253 When assessment and
monitoring data are disaggregated by age, they often
only include “under-five” and “over-five” categories.
A global overview of internal displacement by the
Internal Displacement Monitoring Centre and the
Norwegian Refugee Council, published in 2012, shows
that in only 11 countries did governments or partners
collect data on internally displaced persons
disaggregated by age. This limited the effectiveness of
the responses that internationally displaced groups
could count on. In only six of 50 countries did national
policies make specific reference to older persons. 254
Some agencies are taking steps to address this issue.
The UNHCR specifically recognizes the vulnerabilities
of older people in contexts of forced displacement, and
has updated its community development policy to
incorporate an age, gender and diversity strategy and
a human rights-based and community-based approach.
In addition, it is working to increase early identification
and case management. For the latter action, UNHCR has
made strides with its ProGres registration system which
allows staff to disaggregate data to look at specific needs.
ProGres is now in operation in 300 camps across 72
countries, serving over 5 million refugees.
The Cluster Working Group on Early Recovery (CWGER)
for internally displaced persons, which released its
guidance note on early recovery in 2008, incorporated
the same approach, including collecting data
disaggregated by age, sex, ethnicity, rural and urban
residence, and disability.
Older people identify the most
vulnerable
The devastating 2010 earthquake in Haiti left hundreds
of thousands of people displaced in spontaneous camps
throughout the island. The sheer scale of displacement
made assessing needs and identifying the most
vulnerable people living in camps an enormous challenge
for the humanitarian community. For older people who
were unable to reach distributions or registration points,
this was a particular concern.
To ensure that assistance reached those most in need,
HelpAge International employed a network of 208 older
people living in 93 camps to act as “focal points” for the
affected older population. Their roles included collecting
data related to health needs and information on specific
vulnerabilities (for example persons with disabilities),
identifying and registering the most vulnerable for
assistance, and delivering aid and support to those who
were too frail to access assistance.
This model ensured that support reached the most
vulnerable older people, who might not have been
identified without using existing community knowledge
Frédéric Dupoux/HelpAge International
to confirm who was living in the camp and where. It also
ensured that older people were active participants in the
recovery, increasing their visibility and highlighting their
vulnerabilities and capacities within the community.
Source: Marcus Skinner, “The roles of community networks in vulnerability assessment
and response, HelpAge Haiti earthquake response”, internal report, HelpAge International,
February 2011.
88 Ageing in the Twenty-First Century: A Celebration and A Challenge