The full-scale war has radically changed the lives and needs of older Ukrainians. Currently, there are over 9 million people over the age of 60 living in Ukraine (20% of the population, and almost 33% in rural areas). Even before the full-scale invasion began, experts noted that the ageing population was creating a need for new social and medical services. The war has only exacerbated the challenges: many elderly people found themselves in the combat zone or isolated due to the evacuation of their relatives, leaving them without regular assistance. Researchers note that “many elderly people have been isolated and lack food, medicine and medical care. They are also experiencing severe emotional stress due to the war.” Difficult transport links and power cuts have made it harder to get to hospitals and pharmacies. All this is changing the structure of older people’s urgent needs: the most pressing issues relate to basic resources (food, medicine, heating), regular medical care and mental health support.
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Growth in social needs
The medical needs of the elderly have increased due to the cancellation of regular routes to polyclinics and clinics, as well as the remoteness of villages and frontline areas. According to local social services, about half of the population of frontline communities need social protection – social services, financial or material assistance. However, due to a sharp reduction in budget revenues, communities can only cover the most urgent needs. Social workers note that, given the increase in requests, they are seriously overloaded, and there is no possibility of increasing staff numbers. The lack of accessible transport services has become a separate problem: many elderly people find it difficult to get to social protection centres or hospitals, especially if social service buildings have been destroyed or damaged by shelling. As a result, a number of communities have been forced to abandon plans to set up their own homes for the elderly, as they simply do not have the resources or safe space to do so.
In addition, the war exacerbates the psychological discomfort of older people: due to the loss of relatives and often loneliness in frontline areas, elderly people suffer from anxiety and depression. Many elderly people are left alone with their experiences, lacking live communication and support. That is why humanitarian organisations emphasise the importance of simple human contact: for example, in the social services of the HKHU, social workers not only do shopping or accompany people to the doctor, but most importantly, they “stay close and support them with conversation,” giving them a sense of care and security.
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Social support and new programmes
The government and humanitarian organisations are responding to the crisis with various initiatives. Back in spring 2022, the Ministry of Social Policy introduced a simplified procedure allowing elderly people and people with disabilities to quickly receive the social services they need during wartime. Since then, it has been sufficient to submit an application (a declaration of residence is no longer mandatory) and decisions must be made within 24 hours. The list of possible services is extensive, ranging from temporary shelter and day care to psychological rehabilitation and palliative care. This policy was intended to provide quick access to critical services – from state social institutions or municipal social service centres – even in remote villages. Practice shows that sometimes a single application to social services is enough to provide assistance so that an elderly person does not become one step closer to homelessness or a crisis situation.
However, a network of specialised social services was in place even before the war: day centres, supported housing, social adaptation programmes, etc. But the crisis situation required new solutions. Humanitarian organisations launched additional programmes. The Ukrainian Red Cross, for example, significantly expanded its “home care” services: today, hundreds of social workers visit elderly people at home in all regions (except those where active hostilities are ongoing). In the Zhytomyr region, 50 such workers care for 315 people every day: they buy them food and medicine, accompany them to doctors’ appointments, help with hygiene and housework, and most importantly, communicate with them and provide emotional support. In total, the Ukrainian Red Cross has over 3,000 clients in such programmes across the country, providing not only material but also psychological support to lonely elderly people.
Other charitable organisations (Caritas, social funds, and international agencies) have also launched patronage programmes. In many frontline communities, ‘social buses’ or mobile teams of volunteers are being formed to check on the health of elderly people and provide for their basic needs on regular routes. For example, in the village of Kushuhum in Zaporizhzhia, local authorities, with the support of U-LEAD, have created a space for pensioners to socialise and learn: there, older people are taught how to use mobile phones and computers, pay for utilities online, and sign up for medical examinations. As the head of the community noted, this is “a place where our residents feel cared for and find new meaning in life”.
Medical assistance also extends beyond the traditional network: mobile medical teams operate in a number of regions. These teams consist of a family doctor, a nurse and a driver, enabling them to travel to the most remote communities and conduct initial examinations with basic diagnostics. In the Kherson region, for example, the Ukrainian Red Cross has launched three such teams since the beginning of the year, which have provided more than 600 consultations to local residents, including the elderly and internally displaced persons, in a month. This is critically important in communities with shelling or destroyed road connections: mobile medical teams measure blood pressure, check blood sugar and oxygen levels and, if necessary, refer patients to hospitals. Supported by international donors, these visits provide vital assistance in areas where official access to medical services is difficult or impossible.
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Problems accessing assistance
Despite initiatives by the authorities and NGOs, access to social and humanitarian assistance for older people remains problematic. Firstly, there are bureaucratic barriers: despite simplified requirements, some older people are still unaware of their rights or do not have the necessary documents (passports are often lost during evacuation) and are therefore unable to initiate the process of receiving services. Secondly, there is the issue of funding: recent reports show a reduction in the scale of assistance from international donors, who are increasingly directing resources towards infrastructure repairs, housing reconstruction and economic development. As a result, many communities lack the funds even for minimal social payments or to launch their own programmes from scratch.
The problem of a shortage of social workers also remains unresolved. In wartime, their functions have increased – from crisis intervention to psychological rehabilitation – but the staff and capabilities of local services cannot keep up with the growing demand. Studies of frontline communities have shown that old social service buildings are often damaged, equipment is outdated, and even social taxis are often unavailable. As a result, some elderly people are effectively cut off from assistance, even though it formally exists on paper – real support requires the help of volunteers or caring neighbours.
Finally, the psychological aspect is a real challenge. Many projects to support the elderly are situational in nature and do not address deep loneliness and trauma. According to analysts, none of the partner communities have full-time psychologists for pensioners, and volunteer psychological rehabilitation campaigns are often one-off events. Therefore, support for frontline communities is increasingly shifting towards long-term socio-psychological programmes and integration into social projects — from opening interest clubs to teaching crisis survival skills.
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