Supporting older people in Ukraine

This is a horrific example of how some of the most vulnerable are being impacted by this ongoing conflict.

Older people are among the most vulnerable in this crisis.

On the occasion of Ukraine's Independence Day, we speak with older Ukrainians about what freedom and independence mean to them.

The world is failing its humanitarian workers, and by extension, the millions of vulnerable people they serve.

Exploring the impact of the Ukraine war on mobility and social inclusion of older people, and the barriers to their involvement in community life.

In a landmark meeting with EU partners, key leaders rallied support for older people in Ukraine to build a more age-inclusive society.

Interim Country Director for HelpAge International in Ukraine tells her story and reflects on the resilience of older generation after two years of war.

Housing woes, income insecurity and healthcare obstacles amongst top priorities.

A call for an age inclusive reform and recovery.

HelpAge's statement on the dam breach in Ukraine

70-year-old Lyudmila is a social care worker in eastern Ukraine. In addition to talking about her own experience, she echoes the thoughts of the people she has worked with.

Alena Karimova, 41, is a HelpAge social worker, based in Lviv in western Ukraine. She regularly visits and supports 18 older people, evacuated from the East because of the war. She talks about how hard life is for everyone in Ukraine because of the cold winter weather and lack of power and electricity, caused by Russian attacks against energy infrastructure.

Mental health - Reflections on the challenges older people face after months of the Ukraine war.

As the war continues, HelpAge International's country director in Ukraine Akbar Nazriev shares his insights on how things have changed and what life is like living under the ongoing threat of attack.

HelpAge International's Ukraine Humanitarian Response Manager, Orla Murphy, reflects on the past six months of full-scale war in Ukraine and the plans ahead to respond to the longer-term needs of those embroiled in a protracted war.

People have flocked to the city of Dnipro from all over eastern Ukraine, fleeing the war with Russia. Many are older people, who find themselves displaced in a strange city yet still responsible for the care of their loved ones. Here are their stories.

It's taken a while to process my visit to Moldova where I saw the humanitarian response to support Ukrainian refugees, some of whom I had the privilege to meet.

Everyone living in Ukraine has felt the impact of this war, but in a country where one in four people is over 60, the impact on older persons, including those with disabilities, has been dramatic.

Millions of older people caught up in the war in Ukraine are being overlooked in the humanitarian response, despite making up a quarter of the country's population.

Witnessing the impact of a humanitarian disaster is always profoundly challenging. But seeing so many older people affected in what is the world's 'oldest' crisis is particularly confronting.

June 4 marks 100 days since the start of full-scale war in Ukraine. For those in eastern Ukraine, February 24 was an escalation of a conflict they have endured for eight years. But, since then, we have seen the lives of everyone across the country changed beyond recognition.

Since the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine, more than three million people have passed through Lviv, a city in the west where the borders of five neighbouring countries converge. Most travel further into Europe becoming refugees, but the city and its surroundings has taken in around 500,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs) since the start of the conflict, according to official data, and there are probably even more.

It is impossible not to notice signs of Moldovan solidarity with Ukraine. One such story is that of Argentina, 45, who is the manager of Zarea Hotel in the centre of Chisinau.

When the war in Ukraine began, Moldova, a small country nestled between Ukraine and Romania and Europe's poorest nation, initially thought it could accommodate 15,000 refugees. To nearly everyone's surprise, it received nearly 27 times that number.

Our colleague visited Moldova's border with Ukraine at Palanca, where thousands of refugees cross every day to escape the war.

Women and children have always been victims of war and Ukraine's conflict is no different. Yet the faces are markedly older in this crisis: 25% of Ukrainians are aged 60 or over, making this the world's 'oldest' war.

How HelpAge staff and their families cope as war takes hold, again.

The war in Ukraine has destroyed everybody's lives regardless of who they are.

In response to the warning for all civilians in eastern Ukraine to evacuate the area, HelpAge International's CEO Justin Derbyshire outlined a more complicated picture.

HelpAge provides support to Ukrainian refugees in Moldova. Let's visit the town of Belts and see how one of the refugee accommodation centres works.

HelpAge International is one of a handful of INGOs that has operated in the country since 2014, working with a network of partners and volunteers to support almost 5,000 older people living near the contact line between government and non-government-controlled areas.

Thousands of refugees are crossing the border from Ukraine into Moldova every day, fleeing the dangers of the Russian invasion. HelpAge International is building up its humanitarian presence in Moldova - where it has been working since 2000 - to help as many of those arriving as possible. Samuel Wood, Head of Humanitarian at HelpAge, visited the border and shared his observations.

Older people living in sub-zero conditions and heavily shelled areas of Eastern Ukraine desperately need food, clean drinking water and medication, according to a survey released today.

HelpAge International staff and volunteers in Ukraine are trying to ensure safety of their loved ones, and support older people, as the Russian invasion continues. Read their experience.

Tatiana Sorocan, HelpAge International Country Director in Moldova, travelled with colleagues to visit one of the many refugee centres in Moldova that have sprung up overnight.

An update on our activities in Ukraine in October 2024

An update on our activities in Ukraine in Sept 2024

This report provides a deeper understanding of the gaps in support for the evacuation of older people from conflict-affected areas in Eastern Ukraine.

An update on our activities in Ukraine in August 2024

Exploring the impact of the ongoing war on mobility and social inclusion of older people in Ukraine.

A call for age inclusive reform and recovery.

Learning from the experiences of older Ukrainian refugees in Poland

Learning from the experiences of older Ukrainian refugees in Poland

A call for age inclusive reform and recovery.

Older people's experiences of the Ukraine war and their inclusion in the humanitarian response. This report shows that older people's human rights are at risk as a result of the war in Ukraine, despite significant efforts to support them.

Rapid needs assessment of the needs of older Ukrainian refugees in Moldova at the outset of the conflict

The inclusion and use of data on older people in the humanitarian programme cycle.

Rapid Needs Assessment Ukraine

An estimated 230,000 refugees have crossed the border from Ukraine to Moldova, with 120,000 of these planning to remain in the country.