More than 200,000 elderly people have been affected by the earthquake in Haiti. Photo: Nancy Palus/IRIN
PORT-AU-PRINCE, 7 May 2010 (IRIN Photo) - More than three months after the earthquake, aid workers say elderly people in Haiti are not receiving the attention they need. HelpAge International says special attention must be paid to older people -- not just to their health needs but also to the unique contribution they could make to the relief effort and society. Some 800,000 Haitians -- about 7 percent of the population -- are over 60; some 200,000 have been affected by the disaster, according to HelpAge.
Private and public nursing homes do exist in the capital, Port-au-Prince, but many were badly damaged by the earthquake and lack the capacity to absorb older people discharged from hospitals or needing special care after the disaster.
