UN Agency Warns Conflict In Lebanon Worsens Conditions For Older Persons

BEIRUT, June 29 (Xinhua) -- Around 20 percent of Lebanon's population, including an estimated 140,000 older persons, was displaced during the recent conflict, with many older people facing worsening health, economic, and social conditions, according to a policy brief released Monday by the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Western Asia (ESCWA).

The brief, titled "Conflict and its Shockwaves: Older Persons Amid War and Displacement in Lebanon," said older persons were disproportionately affected by the conflict as humanitarian assistance struggled to meet their specific needs.

Many older people were forced to flee to shelters ill-equipped for those with limited mobility or chronic illnesses, while access to healthcare deteriorated following the closure of six hospitals, damage to 23 health centers, and casualties among hundreds of healthcare workers, the report said.

"What we are witnessing today is a double marginalization of older persons amid crises. They are not only losing their homes or sources of income but are also being deprived of essential services and recognition of their vital role in their communities," ESCWA Population Affairs Officer Sara Salman said.

The report noted that overlapping crises left many older persons without stable income or adequate living conditions, exposing them to greater psychological distress. It added that food assistance often fails to meet their nutritional and health needs.

The brief called for a more inclusive humanitarian response, urging measures to ensure uninterrupted access to healthcare, improve shelter conditions, strengthen social protection and economic support, tailor food assistance to the needs of older persons, and involve them in the design and implementation of relief programs. 

--NNN-Xinhua