International Longevity Centre - UK

The earthquake which struck Haiti last week has been devastating for all Haitians, but has had an especially severe impact on the older population. In this initial response phase the priority has been efforts to rescue trapped people and emergency aid to the injured. However it is also urgent to reach the most vulnerable – children, people with disabilities and older people - who need immediate help. You may have seen news reports of older people in nursing homes in desperate need. We are concerned for the immediate welfare of the residents of the Port-au-Prince Municipal Nursing Home, and have alerted the Mayor of Port-au-Prince to their plight as well as doing our utmost to get emergency supplies there immediately.

However other residential homes have also been severely affected, and HelpAge International is working to support the older residents in these homes too. Over the coming days, our local partner NGO is providing two doctors and four nurses to all the residential homes most in need in Port au Prince. We will also supply much-needed transport to get sick older people into the nearest available hospitals. 

Our partners in Haiti have been working with older people for many years, but they themselves have been severely affected by the earthquake. However some are starting to work again, and in one case have received support from the HelpAge partner in the Dominican Republic, which is sending to mobile medical units to Haiti. In addition to supporting our own partners, in the we are also be working with the major humanitarian organisations and other NGOs to ensure that they also make the protection of the most vulnerable older people a priority.

HelpAge International will also be providing direct assistance. The emergencies teams from the UK and Jamaica have had difficulties getting here, but have now arrived. They are assisting those desperately in need immediately. More of our team are coming in from the Dominican Republic, bringing emergency supplies of food, water and basic items, which are going directly to the residential care homes.

In disasters like this, but also in political emergencies, it can be a struggle to get the needs of older people recognised and response is therefore inadequate. “Time and time again, HelpAge sees this awful situation repeated. Those who are most vulnerable are last to receive aid,” says HelpAge Haiti Emergency Programme Officer, Bertin Meance. “They cannot queue for hours for food and emergency items. Nor are they the loudest demanding to know when aid will come”.

HelpAge therefore takes on a dual role – working with our partner NGOs to deliver immediate aid on the ground, but also drawing the attention of other agencies to the situation of older people. Their needs may range from appropriate food to medications for chronic conditions, and agency staff  need to be responsive and sensitive. Shock and mental trauma  are also likely to have a huge impact on older people. However over time experience shows that older people can be very resilient too, and as the rehabilitation effort gets underway can be invaluable community resources.

That though is for the future. The immediate need remains to identify and reach out to the vulnerable older people in this disaster.

Mark Gorman HelpAge International, Director of Strategic Development

If you want to support the work of HelpAge International in Haiti you can donate to the Disasters Emergency Committee appeal by clicking on the link on the HelpAge International website www.helpage.org.