GLOBAL HEALTH AGING

By now, most have heard about the migrant crisis, where around 1 million people migrated to Europe due to war, persecution, and other unfortunate circumstances. Many efforts to provide aid and support have focused on children, which is typical of most disaster and emergency responses. This is appropriate for the situation in Europe as children and unaccompanied minors comprise around 25 percent of migrants.

But what about the older migrants? Are they also receiving quality, targeted, and culturally sensitive care?

In disaster and emergency response, older adults have distinct needs that many relief organizations are ill-equipped to address. In fact, there is clear evidence that older people are often overlooked, neglected, or even abandoned. The main issues that such migrants face are health effects, housing issues, and pension challenges, which are significantly worse when compared to native groups of the same age. In addition to the psychological issues of being displaced, separated from family and community, and in violent situations, there are basic physical issues which make migration difficult for older adults. Temporary housing is often inadequate and cognitive conditions such as depression, dementia, and delirium all play a part. For some, reduced mobility impedes evacuation, while others may suffer from fatigue or frailty that affect balance when standing in lines for food, water, and medical care.

Both medical professionals and individual migrants face challenges in health consultations since cultural and linguistic backgrounds are very different. This can lead to older adults being less likely to seek out medical advice and care and the health sector having trouble in accurately diagnosing and treating those who do seek help due to the language and culture barriers. There is also the consideration that care services will not meet the (often different) needs of elderly migrants who receive health and social care or accommodate the cultural tradition of parent-child relationships.

Quality, targeted, and culturally sensitive services are required to meet the needs of older migrants. Likewise, training services are needed for health and social care professionals to develop these competencies. The age-specific information on migrants is growing, but more information is needed.

In Denmark, The Migration School is the largest training programme for the care of minority groups in Scandinavia and the first research project in Europe focused on diagnostic methods associated with dementia. In the Netherlands, Pharos has two programmes called Health for the Elderly and Asylum Seekers and Refugees. Both programmes focus on physical activity to prevent falls, supporting (migrant) carers for people with dementia, improving preventive care for asylum seekers and refugees, and the responsible use of medicine.

The global proportion of older adults is increasing. Older people will outnumber children under age nine by 2030 and people under age 25 before 2050. The majority of older people live in low‐ and middle‐income countries, where some are prone to disasters and emergencies. Not only will there be more older adults to be affected by disasters, but more older adults will also provide aid in the aftermath. It is thus important to address ageism and the ethical responsibilities of non‐discrimination in disaster and emergency management – older adults’ lives matter and should not be disregarded when distributing aid and planning services.

Carrie Peterson is a Gerontologist and Consultant in eHealth and Innovation.