Impact of Age-Inclusion Specialists

Project Details

Humanitarian programs frequently use a blanket approach that does not respond to the differential needs older people. The research will explore the tangible impacts of dedicated Age-Inclusive Specialists

The strengths and needs of older people are often neglected within humanitarian settings. This research will explore the impact of appointing Age-Inclusion Specialists to humanitarian teams.

Failure to include older people in humanitarian response leaves them at serious risk of hunger, malnutrition, dehydration, exposure to the elements, illness, and even death. It also means that humanitarian teams miss out on a pivotal source of information and social capital within communities.

The particular needs and potential contributions of older people within humanitarian crises are largely invisible within the work of the humanitarian sector. Lack of age disaggregated data collection and analyses means that older people are missing within program planning documents that  guide humanitarian responses.

HelpAge are supporting Age Inclusion Specialists to provide technical guidance and expertise to enhance coordination across humanitarian clusters and to work with older peoples associations to ensure that older people have the skills and opportunities to advocate for themselves within the humanitarian system.

This research will generate evidence to understand the impact of the work of these Age-Inclusive Specialists. The results will be used to improve age inclusion in humanitarian responses.

We will deliver an independent evaluation of the impact of age inclusion specialists, including a baseline assessment and endline evaluation of impact and change.

Researchers

Dr Alex Robinson

Dr Kate Neely

Collaborators

Funding

HelpAge International