Aid agencies ignored special needs of elderly people after tsunami
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《英国医生杂志》
Elderly people who survived the Asian tsunami on 26 December last year were unable to get health care, food aid, or cash support because relief packages were not specially designed for them, the non-profit agency HelpAge International has said.
Despite attempts in the past to highlight the vulnerability of elderly people during emergencies, the tsunami relief effort did not take into account the special needs of this group in its initial phase, the agency said in a report released last week.
HelpAge researchers said that psychosocial services for elderly people after the 26 December tsunami were "totally inadequate"
Credit: CHRIS STOWERS/PANOS
The tsunami killed more than 300 000 people. It displaced about 92 000 people over the age of 60 in India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Describing the plight of elderly survivors of the tsunami in the four countries, the report said these people became "almost invisible" when relief material was distributed. Many elderly people reported being pushed out of the way by younger people in the chaotic distribution of relief. The report has called on government agencies to include elderly people in needs assessment after disasters and to develop relief packages that are tailored to them.
The report said that elderly people in Indonesia and Thailand had difficulty getting cash allowances from the government in the absence of support mechanisms. In Sri Lanka some elderly people reported receiving no monetary compensation to restart livelihoods.
"It's disappointing," said Mathew Cherian, chief executive of HelpAge India. "Neither the government machinery nor the international aid fraternity recognised the vulnerability of the elderly. We had drawn attention to how older people in India suffered after the Orissa cyclone in 1999 and the Gujarat earthquake in 2001."
Many elderly tsunami survivors with chronic illnesses such as diabetes and cancer faced hardship in resuming treatment, as they had lost their medical papers or could not travel, the report said.
Special diets for elderly people with diabetes or high blood pressure were not available in the relief packages, and relief workers did not know about the dietary problems of elderly people.
"In a crisis situation relief workers usually focus on children and the young, because of mistaken perceptions that the elderly do not need the same level of support," said Indira Jai Prakash, professor of psychology at the University of Bangalore, who has helped train disaster counsellors.
HelpAge researchers said that psychosocial services for elderly people were "totally inadequate" and that the recovery of elderly people was hindered by the lack of special attention. They want governments to recognise elderly people as vulnerable and to begin to outline response programmes that specifically support them.
The Impact of the Indian Ocean Tsunami on Older People: Issues and Recommendations is available at www.helpage.org(Ganapati Mudur)
Despite attempts in the past to highlight the vulnerability of elderly people during emergencies, the tsunami relief effort did not take into account the special needs of this group in its initial phase, the agency said in a report released last week.
HelpAge researchers said that psychosocial services for elderly people after the 26 December tsunami were "totally inadequate"
Credit: CHRIS STOWERS/PANOS
The tsunami killed more than 300 000 people. It displaced about 92 000 people over the age of 60 in India, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Describing the plight of elderly survivors of the tsunami in the four countries, the report said these people became "almost invisible" when relief material was distributed. Many elderly people reported being pushed out of the way by younger people in the chaotic distribution of relief. The report has called on government agencies to include elderly people in needs assessment after disasters and to develop relief packages that are tailored to them.
The report said that elderly people in Indonesia and Thailand had difficulty getting cash allowances from the government in the absence of support mechanisms. In Sri Lanka some elderly people reported receiving no monetary compensation to restart livelihoods.
"It's disappointing," said Mathew Cherian, chief executive of HelpAge India. "Neither the government machinery nor the international aid fraternity recognised the vulnerability of the elderly. We had drawn attention to how older people in India suffered after the Orissa cyclone in 1999 and the Gujarat earthquake in 2001."
Many elderly tsunami survivors with chronic illnesses such as diabetes and cancer faced hardship in resuming treatment, as they had lost their medical papers or could not travel, the report said.
Special diets for elderly people with diabetes or high blood pressure were not available in the relief packages, and relief workers did not know about the dietary problems of elderly people.
"In a crisis situation relief workers usually focus on children and the young, because of mistaken perceptions that the elderly do not need the same level of support," said Indira Jai Prakash, professor of psychology at the University of Bangalore, who has helped train disaster counsellors.
HelpAge researchers said that psychosocial services for elderly people were "totally inadequate" and that the recovery of elderly people was hindered by the lack of special attention. They want governments to recognise elderly people as vulnerable and to begin to outline response programmes that specifically support them.
The Impact of the Indian Ocean Tsunami on Older People: Issues and Recommendations is available at www.helpage.org(Ganapati Mudur)