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24 January 2008
Older refugees in need of befriending services
Findings from the experiences of older refugees and asylum seekers reveal that many suffer from isolation, discrimination and are failed by local services
Refugee Council and Age Concern have announced that older refugees and asylum seekers who come to the UK are virtually an invisible group as the findings from their Older Refugees Programme were revealed at a conference they hosted in January 2008 to examine the barriers this group face.
The programme, a two-year initiative, heard directly from refugees about their daily lives and experiences through a series of regional listening events. The charities are concerned that a lack of awareness about the needs of older refugees is leading to many being failed by local services and organisations.
There was a general consensus that being not only older, but an older refugee, meant that extra support was required. The specific types of support mentioned were:
- Advice about accessing improved accommodation
- English language learning tailored for older people
- Provision of local community centres to meet new people
- Befriending services for those feeling isolated
- One to one domestic help
Language barriers and widespread discrimination mean that many older refugees find it extremely difficult to access information, services and claim essential support, setting them on a path to loneliness and isolation instead of integration and inclusion within their local communities and wider society.
Read the ‘Working Paper for the Older Refugees Programme – a literature review and interviews with refugees’ in full here
The programme, a two-year initiative, heard directly from refugees about their daily lives and experiences through a series of regional listening events. The charities are concerned that a lack of awareness about the needs of older refugees is leading to many being failed by local services and organisations.
There was a general consensus that being not only older, but an older refugee, meant that extra support was required. The specific types of support mentioned were:
- Advice about accessing improved accommodation
- English language learning tailored for older people
- Provision of local community centres to meet new people
- Befriending services for those feeling isolated
- One to one domestic help
Language barriers and widespread discrimination mean that many older refugees find it extremely difficult to access information, services and claim essential support, setting them on a path to loneliness and isolation instead of integration and inclusion within their local communities and wider society.
Read the ‘Working Paper for the Older Refugees Programme – a literature review and interviews with refugees’ in full here
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