Workshop 2: Humanitarian Crisis and Old Age Mental Health

Abstract

In 2020 there were 727 million persons aged 65 years or over in the world and this number is expected to reach over 1.5 billion in 2050. Of these, 20% suffer of a mental health condition and 60% live in low- and middle-income countries where barriers (stigma, poor access to social and health care systems) present issues even during stable times. A humanitarian crisis is defined as a singular event or a series of events that are threatening in terms of health, safety or wellbeing of a community or group of individuals, and require action that is usually urgent and often non-routine. Examples of such crisis are wars, natural disasters, epidemics and forced immigration. There is an urgent need of an international commitment to planning for humanitarian emergencies that include individual and community psychosocial support for older adults with mental health conditions. The current lack of inclusion for these older adults in humanitarian response is dramatic and constitute a clear violation of their Human Rights. Governments and humanitarian actors need to do more during crisis to ensure that individual's specific needs are addressed. A humanitarian response includes the collective actions of actors responding to the global needs. Each state has the responsibility first to take care of the victims of these emergencies occurring on its territory. Humanitarian actors must provide assistance in accordance with the principles of humanity, neutrality and impartiality. Promoting and ensuring compliance with these principles are essential elements of effective humanitarian coordination, in respect of the Human Rights principles, in particular when vulnerable people such older adults with mental health conditions are involved. The symposium intends to describe the consequences on older adults’ mental health during humanitarian emergencies and discuss potential solutions to improve the humanitarian response for all in need.