Purpose

These guidelines recommend five key action points for including older people in shelter programmes.

Overview

Understand the needs and capacities of older people: programme staff must be aware of the importance of collecting data on older people. They should be aware of issues such as demographic change, international commitments, good practice and lessons learned from other projects on the vulnerabilities and contributions of older people.

Ensure that older people participate and are represented: an age-friendly shelter programme provides older people with choices about how to live, chances to participate in society, and the ability to live in a community where their needs can be addressed affordably.

Target vulnerable older people: focus on older men and women who are single, isolated or abandoned; are caring for children; are the main family breadwinners; living with chronic diseases, disability, or mobility or mental health problems; belong to the “oldest old” group; older widows; older men and women who rank as the poorest.

Incorporate age-friendly features in both household and community shelters: to build suitable shelters for older people, a blend of modern technology and traditional preferences is recommended. To ensure that the technical requirements are met, adhere to national and international standards for durable and environmentally-friendly shelter construction

Promote coordination, cooperation and sharing: to ensure that older people’s issues are not neglected or forgotten, it is crucial to include older people, along with other vulnerable groups, on the agenda of shelter cluster meetings.

Usage: Guidance for project implementation

Audiences: Technical staff

A two-page summary of these guidelines is also available at this link.