#Ukraine: Russian #invasion has forced older people with #disabilities to endure isolation and neglect – new report
..."Russia’s continuing indiscriminate attacks, many of which amount to war crimes, have displaced millions of Ukrainian civilians from their homes. Ukraine has one of the highest proportions of older people in the world: nearly 10 million of its population of about 41 million, almost a quarter, were aged over 60 before February 2022.
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While most displaced people in Ukraine are living in rented accommodation, extremely low pensions and high rent costs render this type of housing unaffordable for many older people.
As a result, older people often live in large numbers in temporary shelters for displaced people in schools, dormitories, and other public buildings.
However, almost all shelters that Amnesty International visited were partially or completely inaccessible to people with physical disabilities. Many lacked ramps to enter the building, elevators, grab bars to make toilets accessible, or enough space for a wheelchair user to make a full turn.
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Older people with disabilities, including the growing number who have conflict-related disabilities, are often unable to access disability-related services or healthcare. This lack of care and support is compounded by the fact that many younger relatives who would have previously supported older people with their care needs have either fled abroad or to other parts of Ukraine or have been enlisted into the military.
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Amnesty International has been documenting war crimes and other serious violations of international humanitarian law since the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. This includes the December 2022 report, ‘I used to have a home’: Older people’s experience of war, displacement, and access to housing in Ukraine."...
