Disaster resilience in an ageing world Disaster Risk and Age Index © Robin Wyatt/ HelpAge International Can we get an older person representative to speak for two minutes, their statement should include: Name, where they are from, their age. Thire experience of a disaster: I have been effected by xxxx disaster, I lost my xxxx, my xxx, my xxx. I was unable to xxxxx due to my age and heath conditions, I was unable to xxxx due to discrimination against people of my age. As I am not as mobile as younger people, this meant that xxxx, I was afraid. Their capacity: However, I am a person of experience, of resilience. I am now participating in community DRR work, I am trained in xxxx, I help my community and other older people xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx, I have provided important information on the impact of pervious disaster and early warning signals to my community and authorities to help with planning. I am no longer feel afraid as I know my older condition has been taken into account in planning for disasters, I feel prepared, I am old but I have a lot to contribute to reduce risks to disasters. If not can we find a video of an older person in DRR speaking to play to get peoples attention??

The world is CHANGING The World is AGEING © Robin Wyatt/ HelpAge International

The world is changing & Ageing By 2050 this will rise to 80% By 2050 2.02b will be aged 60 or over In 2014 868m were aged 60 or over 66% of the world’s 60+ live in low- and middle- income countries It is a sign of the world’s resilience that in 2014 approximately 868 million people or nearly 12 per cent of the world’s population are over the age of 60. By 2050 there will be 2.02 billion people over 60 – nearly as many as children under 15 (2.03billion). An older world with increasing disaster exposure

Older people and disasters © Warren Antiola/ Flickr Licensed under CC-BY 2.0 Older person from Philippines to speak here.

Older people are disproportionally affected Older people and disasters Older people are disproportionally affected

Older people and disasters (2) Current systems ill-equipped Disaster management systems don’t accommodate requirements of older people and other vulnerable groups Policy makers and practitioners overlook the strengths and contributions older people make

Why are older people more vulnerable to disasters Poverty Neglect Isolation Disability & Mobility problems Burden of care giving Psychosocial challenges Health problems Nutrition deficiency Poverty – limited access to employment options, no or limited social protection or pension, employed in risky occupations in the informal sector or agricultural based livelihood and food security. Neglect – where resources are scarce older people’s needs are not always prioritised Isolation – contrary to common assumptions older people are not always cared for by their families, and family care is often reduced by migration, reduction in family size. Disability – reduces independence and ability of older people to meet their own needs in crises Double care burden - Often older people require some level of care, however they are also often responsible for grandchildren when parents have migrated or died Psychosocial distress – reduced social status, isolation, neglect, adaptation to new situations/context and disability all contribute to increased psychosocial suffering amongst older people. Health: non-communicable disease and greater susceptibility to infectious disease. Greater susceptibility to heat, cold and the elements. Nutrition: specific foods that are easy to digest/chew, higher protein and nutrient density. Mobility: physical accessibility of services, access and understanding of early warnings, ability to act/flee (sight, hearing, mobility and comprehension)

Capacities and resourcefulness of older people Historical knowledge of past disasters Traditional knowledge of CCA Respected community figures Actively involved in family, community and nation building Experience as a child, parent, carer, worker, manager, farmer, holders of life course experience.

Disaster Risk and Age Index © Artemiyo Andaya/ COSE

Disaster Risk and Age Index Index of countries based on their old age populations risk to disaster Demonstrates with existing data the situation of older people and disaster risk Provides direction to governments and policy makers to reduce the risk to older people Highlights major trends of increasing disaster risk in an ageing world Highlights the data gaps on older people and its limitations

Disaster Risk and Age Index (2) Methodology Old Age augmented version of INFORM Global Risk Index This pilot Index is based on the INFORM 2015 Index, a global, open-source risk assessment for humanitarian crises and disasters, which was developed through a collaboration between the Inter-Agency Standing Committee Task Team for Preparedness and Resilience and the European Commission. (Introduce Tom if he joins you) a hazard and exposure dimension, which outlines both natural and human hazards in the environment • a vulnerability dimension comprising development and deprivation data, inequality, aid dependency, uprooted people and vulnerable group data • a capacity dimension that includes disaster risk reduction (DRR), governance, communication, infrastructure and access to healthcare capacity data. All three dimensions are equally weighted to determine risk. HelpAge International has augmented this methodology to create a pilot Disaster Risk and Age Index, including additional indicators within the vulnerability and capacity components that reflect more accurately the specific situation and condition of the older population, rather than the population as a whole. For example, within the vulnerability dimension, child mortality rates were removed, while pension coverage and relative old-age poverty were included. In some of the indicators, data on the 60-plus or 65-plus cohort was disaggregated, such as UNHCR’s “People of Concern” which was already age-disaggregated. Other indicators were adjusted to data sets which included age-disaggregated components, but were similar to the original indicators, such as malaria mortality in older age, as opposed to the original prevalence data which was not available age-disaggregated. INFORM info: • INFORM is the first global, open-source tool for measuring the risk of a humanitarian crisis or disaster occurring in a country. • INFORM provides a common evidence base so all governments and organisations can work together better to reduce the risk of humanitarian crisis and disaster, build resilience and prepare for crises. • INFORM is a unique way to help you make decisions on crisis and disaster prevention, preparedness and response. It will allow users to plan better, coordinate and ultimately save lives. Level 2 • INFORM covers 191 countries. The data and methodology are transparent and freely available and can be adapted for your organisation or region. • You can use INFORM in 3 main ways - to prioritise countries by risk and its components, decide how to prepare and reduce risk, and to monitor risk trends. • INFORM simplifies a lot of information about risk and its components into an easy-to-understand risk profile for every country, which covers natural and human hazards, vulnerability and lack of coping capacity. • INFORM can be used to measure risk at the sub-national level. INFORM partners are working with regional and national counterparts to develop region- and country-specific versions of INFORM. • INFORM is a collaboration of the Inter-Agency Standing Committee (IASC) Task Team for Preparedness and Resilience and the European Commission. • INFORM is supported by most major humanitarian organisations, which have worked together to develop it. • InfoRM can support global policy processes, including the post-2015 framework for development, Hyogo Framework for Action 2 and the 2016 World Humanitarian Summit. Examples: child mortality removed; pension coverage and relative old age poverty introduced, some indicators were age disaggregated Examples: Introduced 60+ access to internet and mobile technology; 60+mortality for diarrheal diseases as a proxy for health system strength unchanged

Components Those countries with the highest exposure to hazard are Afghanistan, Somalia and Syria, due to a combination of natural hazards alongside serious conflict situations. Countries with the lowest hazard and exposure scores are reflective of the overall risk score in the case of Malta, Finland and São Tomé e Principe.

Components (2) On the older person vulnerability component alone, Central African Republic, Afghanistan and Congo DR show older populations most vulnerable to disaster and Norway, Sweden and the Netherlands, the least

Components (3) For lack of coping capacity, Somalia, Guinea Bissau and Chad doing the least to boost the capacity of their older citizens in response to disaster risk and Denmark, Norway and Finland, the most (see Figure 4). A full list of all dimensions results can be found in Table 7 in Appendix 2.

Findings The pilot index shows that the countries where older people are most at risk from disaster are Somalia (1), Central African Republic (2) and Afghanistan (3), due to ongoing conflict and a hazardous environment as well as the lack of services and protection for older people. At the other end of the scale, in São Tomé e Principe (188), Finland (189) and Malta (190), older people are exposed to the lowest risk in disasters.

Findings (2) © Ellie Coleman/ HelpAge International

Country example Central African Republic (ranked 2) Hazard and exposure: overall score 7.8 The natural hazard component only scores 1.1 (due mainly to flooding) whereas the human conflict hazard component scores 10, the maximum value. Vulnerability: overall score 8.3 Significant deficiencies in age-specific indicators are due to: • high gender inequality (older men have better access to labour markets and higher educational standards) • extremely high mortality rates from diseases such as tuberculosis, malaria, HIV and diarrhoeal diseases • very little healthcare support with only 0.5 doctors per 10,000 • extremely low scores in the age-adjusted Human Development Index (HDI) indicators • no pensions for older people • very high numbers of older “People of Concern” to UNHCR. Lack of coping capacity: overall score 8.7 This is due mainly to the following factors: • only 21 per cent have access to improved water and sanitation • poor governance scores • high older adult illiteracy rates • failure to report against progress on all Hyogo Framework for Action priorities. The result is the profile of a country whose older citizens on a daily basis struggle to survive with very little support and services and a complete lack of attention to managing disaster risks by the authorities, resulting in a significant catastrophe.

Limitations Data Indices vs. Reality Reality:Hurricane Katrina Indices provide the best measure we can currently achieve with the data, however to understand nuances of risk other local people centred monitoring mechanisms are needed – age disaggregated the USA is subject to a range of natural hazards and is highly exposed, with an overall natural hazard score of 7.6 , similarly with a low human hazard component (see Table 4). Again like Japan, older people benefit from: • high life expectancy • high number of years in education and relative gender equality, though older men still have better access to labour markets • 93 per cent pension coverage, though 14 per cent of older people live below the poverty line • A large amount spent on healthcare • low mortality from diarrhoeal diseases, • very low mortality numbers for HIV, malaria and tuberculosis. • very high access to mobile phones (93 per cent) and access to internet (83 per cent) • good progress by the USA on the Hyogo Framework for Action. The Disaster Risk and Age Index scores for USA are comparable to the INFORM 2015 scores. This means that provision for older people is equal to that of the rest of the population, indicating a relatively age-inclusive society. Limitations of the Disaster Risk and Age Index While the index shows that older people in the USA and Japan should be relatively well supported in disasters, the cases of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and the Japanese tsunami in 2011 show very different outcomes compared to the results of the index. These disasters still had a disproportionate impact on older people, with higher death rates as compared to their overall proportion in the population. While an index such as this provides a very good guide to the overall risk of older people to disasters, it currently lacks the sensitivity and data quality to understand the nuances of risk. More understanding of how age-inclusive national disaster management planning and the impact of past disasters on older people can make a difference, and availability of better data on inequality and the socioeconomic status of older people, would provide a much better picture of the realities of risk. However, as such improvements in data take time, money and coordination, so other methods are needed, especially in the case of the monitoring framework of the Post-2015 Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. A local-level monitoring mechanism to accompany high-level data collection methods such as the Disaster Risk and Age Index are needed to ensure that the data and risk levels identified reflect the realities of disasters. The local-level monitoring mechanism should provide a voice for those affected by disasters, including older people. It seeks to understand the impacts of disaster across demographics and to identify the root causes of those impacts within society. By combining high-level data indicators and analysis such as the Disaster Risk and Age Index with local-level monitoring information, real evidence-based solutions to reducing disaster risk can be found for all in society. Photo:(Reuters)

Recommendations The report highlights critical policy and practice changes across all aspects of development, including disaster risk management, to reduce the risks to older populations. © HelpAge International

Recommendations Disaster risk reduction Action must be taken to make progress on the Hyogo Framework for Action and the priorities of the new post-2015 disaster management framework, and these must be age inclusive. Older people as: Active decision makers in hazard analysis and DRR planning. Designated role in implementation of DRR initiatives & budget assigned for implementation. Monitoring systems at local and national level = age disaggregated and actively involves older people Designated role in implementation of DRR initiatives including general and targeted towards older people – older people leading disaster awareness, environmental rehabilitation – evacuation plans consider mobility issues, livelihood initiatives include activities targetted towards older people Budget available at local level for implementation. Monitoring at local and national level should include age disaggregated information and older people actively involved in monitoring DRR initiatives © Aleksandra Laika/ HelpAge International

Recommendations Disaster risk reduction Action must be taken to make progress on the Hyogo Framework for Action and the priorities of the new post-2015 disaster management framework, and these must be age inclusive. Action should be taken to achieve the 14 targets of Charter 14 for older people in DRR. © Aleksandra Laika/ HelpAge International

Charter 14 HelpAge International and UNISDR ask all government ministries responsible for DRR to sign up All agencies implementing DRR/CCA and Humanitarian response Sign up to address the principals of older people in need, in visible (due to lack of SADD) and invaluable in DRR Signees asked to commit to a minimum of one of the 14 actions Can be used as one of your voluntary commitments or government announcements towards Sendai World conferene next year.

Recommendations 3 Disaster risk reduction Action must be taken to make progress on the Hyogo Framework for Action and the priorities of the new post-2015 disaster management framework, and these must be age inclusive. Action should be taken to achieve the 14 targets of Charter 14 for older people in DRR. 3 Development policies and plans should be ageing and climate smart. © Aleksandra Laika/ HelpAge International

Ageing and disaster smart development Investments in pension systems are one of the most important ways to ensure economic independence and reduce poverty in old age. Older people need to be included in all actions addressing both infectious diseases (such as tuberculosis, malaria and diarrheal diseases) and no communicable diseases (NCDs). Food security and nutrition appropriate for people in later life should also be ensured to boost overall health and wellbeing. An age-friendly physical environment (affordable and disaster-resilient housing and easily accessible transportation) that promotes the development and use of innovative technologies to encourage active ageing is especially important as people grow older and experience reduced mobility and visual and hearing impairments. Income and social protection: Among the most urgent concerns of older people worldwide is income security, which is a significant factor in the vulnerability indicators of the Disaster Risk and Age Index. These issues are also among the greatest challenges for governments faced with ageing populations. Investments in pension systems are one of the most important ways to ensure economic independence and reduce poverty in old age. Health and nutrition:Health and social care services should work together with a focus on maintaining independence, aiming to mitigate the impacts of disease and disability and, where appropriate, provide treatment. Older people need to be included in all actions addressing both infectious diseases (such as tuberculosis, malaria and diarrhoeal diseases) and no communicable diseases (NCDs). Food security and nutrition appropriate for people in later life should also be ensured to boost overall health and wellbeing. Infrastructure: An age-friendly physical environment that promotes the development and use of innovative technologies to encourage active ageing is especially important as people grow older and experience reduced mobility and visual and hearing impairments. Affordable and disaster-resilient housing and easily accessible transportation that encourage ageing “in place” are essential to maintain independence, facilitate social contacts and permit older people to remain active members of society. Data: Lack of data on the situation of older people – before, during and after a disaster – is a major barrier to gathering reliable evidence and taking action. Major efforts must be made to collect and provide much higher levels of age, sex and disability disaggregated data, not only in the hazard and disaster statistics but across development data sets Major efforts must be made to collect and provide much higher levels of age, sex and disability disaggregated data across development data sets

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