HelpAge International

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HelpAge International
Promotion of Social Inclusion of Older People
in the MDGs Dr Douglas Lackey
Regional Advocacy Manager
HelpAge International
Africa Regional Development Centre
Nairobi,
Kenya  

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• Inclusion of Older People in MDG Framework
• HelpAge International fully supports the need to
  measure progress in achieving the MDGs that truly
  represents the inclusion of vulnerable groups in
  society such as older people, persons with
  disabilities and people living with HIV/AIDS and
• Critical need to identify supplementary targets
  that ensure their inclusion in the MDG framework

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• Social Exclusion
• Older People Do Fall Victim to the 3 Dimensions
  of Social Exclusion
• Lack of full participation in economic life
  restricted access to earn income, livelihood
  opportunities
• Exclusion from social participation restricted
  access to social services, social security,
  community and family support
• Exclusion from political and community
  participation restricted access to consultation,
  decision-making, community organisations
• Poverty a major contributing factor

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• Promotion of Social Inclusion of Older People in
  the MDGs
• National, Regional and International Policy
  Frameworks
• National Plans of Action on Ageing Tanzania,
  Mozambique, Ethiopia, South Africa, Mali
• AU Policy Framework and Plan of Action on Ageing
  2002
• UN Madrid International Plan of Action on Ageing
  2002
• Livingstone Call for Action Social Protection
  2006
• All include policy recommendations in key issue
  and thematic areas such as
• Rights, Poverty, Health, Social Welfare, Gender,
  HIV/AIDS

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• Major Gaps in National, Regional and
  International Policies regarding Older People
• Minimal if any reference to impact of HIV/AIDS on
  older people in national HIV/AIDS policies and
  strategic plans and regional policies such as the
  Abuja Declaration on HIV/AIDS
• UNGASS Indicators for the implementation of
  declaration of commitment on HIV/AIDS do not
  access impact on older people and the disabled
• Poverty reduction strategies do not prioritise
  support to alleviate poverty of older people

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• Social Exclusion of Older Persons
• Situation analysis covers the main issues
• Demographic trends (5 of population with 3
  growth rate to estimated 10 of population by
  2050 and in the context of poverty and social
  exclusion
• Impact of HIV/AIDS, particularly on older carers
  of OVC, but also HIV prevalence rates of older
  people
• Also links to disability as an issue of ageing
• And to PLHA with prevalence rates of older people
  and caregivers of PLHA

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• MDG 1 Eradicating extreme poverty and hunger
• Chronic poverty critical issue for older people
• Situation described accurately scale of poverty
  (100 million older people living on less than 1
  a day, 80 no income), leading to food insecurity
  particularly for OVC and older carers, limited
  access to heath services, risk of disability
• Lack of access to poverty alleviation and OVC
  programmes also needs to be stated

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• MDG 2 Achieve universal primary education
• Older people have limited opportunities to
  participate in adult-learning opportunities
• Older carers of OVC desperate that children
  attend school but lack of resources to pay
  fees/other education requirements a major problem
• Older carers need to be supported to secure
  enabling environment for OVC particularly to
  foster their education

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• MDG 3 Promoting gender equality
• Disproportionate burden of care by older women
  for OVC and PLHA is a gender issue
• UNICEF/HelpAge International data indicates that
  40 of OVC are cared for by older carers, mainly
  older women carers
• Huge issue of scale 12 million OVC x 40 older
  carers 4.8 million OVC divided by average 3 OVC
  per older carer 1.6 million older carers. If
  50 in poverty situation 800,000 older carers
  of OVC who need to be supported
• Recommended policy actions
• Value and recognise work of older carers
• Develop home-based policies/strategies that
  support older carers
• Provide resources to older carers social
  pensions/cash transfers, legal advice to access
  rights and entitlements
• Provide more HIV prevention and care-giving
  knowledge to older carers

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• MDG 6 Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other
  diseases
• Caregiver role duly recognised
• Prevalence rates for aged 50 not being
  determined except for a few countries Mozambique
  11, South Africa - 15 (men) 5 (women),
  UNAIDS/WHO 7 sub-Sahara Africa
• Indicator 18 for MDG 6 HIV/AIDS prevalence
  estimated adult (15-49)
• And older people have a right to ARVs
• Access to VCT services and knowing your status
  needs to be included as an indicator
• HIV/AIDS-related health data must be
  disaggregated by gender and age, as stated in AU
  Africa Health Strategy 2007-2015

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• Older people require health services that cater
  to their specific needs
• Selected geriatric drugs included in essential
  drugs list
• Training module for all health workers on common
  ailments of older people
• Improved attitude of health workers in providing
  services for older people
• Prioritising home-based care to older people and
  older carers of OVC and PLHA
• MDG 7 Ensure environmental sustainability
• Water and sanitation very crucial issue for older
  people

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• MDG 8 Develop global partnership for
  development
• Implement national, regional and international
  policy frameworks for older people
• Include older people in key policy issues like
  national and regional HIV/AIDS and Poverty
  Alleviation strategic plans
• Proposed targets and indicators
• Goal 1 Eradicate extreme poverty and hunger
• Recommend additional indicator regarding
  percentage of older people accessing poverty
  alleviation programmes
• Goal 6 Combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other
  diseases
• Recommended additional indicators
• Percentage of older people who are accessing VCT
  services and know their HIV status
• Percentage of older carers of OVC and PLHA who
  are receiving support

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• Promotion of health equity in the MDGs
• Suggested areas for supplementary targets or
  indicators
• Home-based care for older people and older carers
  of OVC and PLHA
• Disaggregation of health data by gender and age
  to ascertain access to health, VCT and ART
  services and HIV prevalence rates

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• Challenges to Recommended Indicators
• - Lack of disaggregated data by age for
  HIV/AIDS-related health facilities VCT, ART
  access to health services, poverty reduction
  programmes, profile of caregivers of OVC/PLHA
• Opportunities
• - Analysis of existing data being collected by
  sex and age VCT, ART
• - Including key questions on impact of HIV/AIDS
  on older people in HIV/AIDS prevalence surveys,
  demographic health studies
• - Prioritising support to older carers in annual
  HIV/AIDS and poverty reduction strategic plans

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• WE ALL NEED TO SUPPORT AFRICAS NEW MOTHERS AND
  FATHERS, AND VITAL CAREGIVERS OF OVC and PEOPLE
  LIVING WITH AIDS!