Older refugees and internally displaced people in African countries: findings from a scoping review of literature

Abstract

By and large, the attention and resources of governments, NGOs, and humanitarian actors have been directed at children and working-age displaced people, ignoring the needs and perspectives of displaced elders. Africa is the continent with the largest number of displaced people aged 60 and over. To help achieve equity and better representation for this latter group, it appears essential to delineate and clarify the evidence base on displaced elders in Africa. We systematically searched bibliographic databases in the social and health sciences. One hundred forty-one papers met our inclusion criteria globally, of which 16 were based on data collected in African countries. The scoping review establishes that the main focus has been the specific vulnerabilities faced by older African displaced people, particularly with regard to physical health and the erosion of social support systems. Contrary to research on older displaced populations elsewhere, studies on the mental health of displaced elders in Africa are lacking. Similarly, more priority should be given to phenomenological and life course approaches to better understand the lived experience of displaced African elders.