The world’s oldest humanitarian crisis: Millions of older Ukrainians continue to suffer after three years of war

Worsening conditions and a downward trend for older people 

The report is based on a nationally representative survey and builds on HelpAge’s 2022 study.  

The findings offer a rare comparison over time: 32% now lack safe shelter from the war, an 11% increase since 2022. The number of people struggling to afford basic items has gone up by 6%, with nearly all of those affected lacking money for food, medicine, and hygiene products.  

Housing conditions have worsened, with two out of three people living in poor conditions and a growing number of which need urgent repairs. Mental health challenges are also rising, while access to support has dropped, leaving many to cope alone. 

Left behind and shut out 

When war strikes, older people are among those most at risk – yet they are rarely the first in line for help. In fact, only 32% of older people receive aid from humanitarian organisations. 

They face barriers that many of us don’t think about. They can’t run when the air raid siren sounds. Many cannot climb down to basements or shelters. Some can’t leave their villages because they can no longer walk far. Others stay behind because they cannot afford to rent a new home or do not want to abandon their land and animals. 

When help arrives, older people often can’t reach it – physically or financially. Some can’t use the internet to find out what aid is available or how to apply. Others can’t stand in long queues because they are too frail or too unwell. 

This means they often go without – food, clean water, medicines, mental health support. Even the basics that most of us take for granted. 

Older women hit the hardest 

Older Ukrainian women are carrying the heaviest burden. Before the war, many were already living on low pensions – around 30% less than men receive. Now, skyrocketing prices for rent, heating, and food have pushed many older women over the edge. 

• Nearly half of older women in Ukraine live alone. 
• 68% say their pension is not enough to cover even basic needs like food or heating. 
• Many skip meals, share medicine or stay in freezing homes to stretch their tiny incomes. 

And the cost is not just physical. Older women speak of deep loneliness and anxiety. Many worry about dying alone, with no one to care for them or even to bury them. 

Age brings more risk 

For many, each year that passes brings more risk. Older people over 70 struggle even more: 

• They are twice as likely to live alone. 44% of those over 70 live alone without family support. 
• They rely almost completely on small government pensions. 
• Many can no longer work or grow food. 
• They face huge barriers to getting the help they need. 

Many are stuck at home, unable to walk far or travel to hospitals or aid points. Some have no family left to help them. 

“I can’t walk well. I haven’t applied for disability status – it’s too difficult and means travelling to the hospital and standing in queues. I’m too weak for that.” – Valentyna, 97 

Disability makes life even harder 

More than a quarter of older people in Ukraine live with a disability – yet many do not even register for help because the system is too complicated. They simply do not have the strength to face the endless paperwork and travel. 

As a result, they go without support they desperately need. For people already struggling to buy food or medicine, the extra costs of living with a disability can be devastating. 

The hidden toll on mental health 

For older Ukrainians, the war is a constant, grinding fear and uncertainty that wears away at their minds. 

• 63% say their mental health is worse than when the war began. 
• 80% report anxiety and distress, with over half saying it affects their daily life. 
• Many say they feel like a burden; some even wish they were dead. 

This crisis of mental health is growing but remains hidden. Support services are few and far between, and older people often find it hard to reach or pay for help. 

“At our age, we’ve become poor and homeless. I often feel completely hopeless and in despair.” – Nataliia, 65 

The rising cost of survival 

War has driven up the price of everything – food, heating, rent. Pensions have not kept pace.62% of older people say their income does not cover their basic needs. Within this group: 

• 93% struggle to buy enough food. 
• 91% struggle to buy soap and hygiene items. 
• 88% can’t afford the medicines they need. 

In frontline areas, it is even worse. Some live in half-destroyed buildings with no heating in winter. Others rent tiny flats at prices they can barely pay. 

“What worries me most is the cost of rent. My daughter, son-in-law and I are all pension age, and our three pensions barely cover the rent.” – Valentyna, 97 

Yet many refuse to give up 

Amid all this, older Ukrainians show incredible strength and hope. Many volunteer in their villages, sing in choirs, teach, look after grandchildren, or even start small businesses. 

“I sing in a choir. You know, I feel very needed. Other people say my energy inspires them.” – Olena, 89 

What needs to happen now 

Older people in Ukraine are asking for their basic human rights – to be safe, to eat, to have medicine, to live in dignity – to be upheld. 

There has been some progress since 2022. More older people are getting aid. Some services have improved. But the reality is that most older people’s lives are getting harder, not easier. Their needs are growing, but the help they get is shrinking. 

If we don’t act now, millions more will be pushed further into poverty, isolation and despair. 

Immediate action is needed 

No older person should be left behind – not in Ukraine, not anywhere. They must not be an afterthought in a humanitarian response. They must be at the centre of it. 

We need governments, aid agencies and donors to: 

1. Make aid easy to reach: Bring help closer to people’s homes.  
2. Go where older people are: Set up mobile health teams that visit villages and homes, especially for people who cannot walk or travel.   
3. Keep roofs over heads: Help older people pay for safe housing; whether that means rent, repairs, or replacing homes destroyed by shelling.  
4. Make information clear and simple: Don’t bury help in forms, apps or websites only the young can navigate. Provide clear, easy-to-understand information – face to face, on paper, over the phone.  
5. Support mental health: Loneliness and fear are just as dangerous as bombs. Older people need safe spaces to talk, get counselling, and feel part of their communities again.  
6. Focus on those facing the greatest barriers: Target support to reach those most at risk: older women, people over 70, and older people with disabilities. 
7. Protect livelihoods and dignity: Support older people to keep working if they can and want to. Make it easier for older people to start small businesses or keep their farms running.   
8. Keep older people visible: Involve older people in decisions that affect them. Listen to their ideas. Let them help shape the aid they receive. Their voices matter.  
9. Don’t wait for tomorrow: Crises don’t pause. The needs of older people are growing every day. More funding must go directly to help older people now – not next year, not once other needs are met.  

Older people built Ukraine. They deserve to grow old in safety and dignity. It is about time that we all – donor governments, aid groups and the public – stand up for them.