February 2025 marked three years since the escalation of the conflict in Ukraine which has deeply affected the country and its people, leaving widespread hardship and destruction in its path. Elderly women, who represent over 60% of Ukraine’s aging population, are among the most vulnerable groups impacted by the conflict, yet their plight remains largely overlooked. They face not only the physical dangers of the armed conflict but also isolation from displacement, separation from loved ones, and a collapse of essential services. Their struggle for survival grows more urgent, compounded by poverty, neglect, and the increasing burden on a healthcare system that remained resilient despite the devastation.
Isolation and Strain on Healthcare
Many elderly women live alone in conflict affected areas, separated from their families and with limited mobility. This isolation makes it difficult for them to access medical care, retrieve medications, or meet basic needs. The emotional toll of grief, compounded by the physical scars of aging and the trauma of losing loved ones and witnessing destruction, adds to their suffering. The Russia-Ukraine conflict has placed significant strain on Ukraine’s healthcare system, particularly in rural areas where these women live. Tasks like medical appointments, food delivery, and picking up prescriptions have become increasingly difficult for those unable to travel, leaving them without the support they urgently need.
A Lifeline: The Home-Based Healthcare Program
To support older adults, and especially women, the Canadian Red Cross has supported the Ukrainian Red Cross in delivering a vital home-based care program in Cherkasy and Poltava Oblasts. The program, offered across the country with support from other Red Cross and Red Crescent National Societies, is designed to provide psychosocial support to these older adults living in some of Ukraine’s most affected regions and who are physically unable to access certain services. It emphasizes a holistic approach to preserving dignity and quality of life amidst the chaos of the conflict.
Central to this program are the social helpers—trained individuals who offer companionship, listen to fears, and provide vital assistance, such as helping with daily chores, assisting with mobility, and ensuring medications are taken on time. For many older people with no family nearby and no community support, these helpers serve as a critical source of human connection. They provide hope and emotional stability in the midst of fear and loneliness. For many elderly women, the simple act of talking to someone, of having a person who listens, offers emotional stability in the midst of fear and loneliness. Social helpers provide hope, reminding these women that they are not forgotten, that someone cares.
An Overwhelming Need for Support
While this initiative has offered some relief, the need far surpasses the current response. Thousands of elderly women continue to live in isolation, lacking access to basic needs and medical care. Their numbers grow as the conflict continues. While social helpers fill an urgent gap, the demand for their services far exceeds the available resources, limiting their ability to meet the full scope of the need.
The situation of older women in Ukraine cannot be ignored. Rendered invisible in the broader conversation about the conflict, their suffering is as real as that of people on the frontlines. These women—mothers, grandmothers, and sisters—, survivors of a conflict that has shattered their lives, have lost everything but continue to hold on to the hope they will not be forgotten. Their struggles are urgent and must be addressed immediately.
It’s important that the impact of the ongoing crisis on elderly women is a key priority of global health programs. . Home-based care programs need to be expanded to meet the increasing need. Social helpers and their crucial role should receive recognition and support from governments, Non-Governmental Organizations, and communities through financial contributions, volunteering, and advocacy. The challenges these elderly women face are not just a local issue; they are a global human rights concern.
Their survival requires more than physical care; it’s about honoring their humanity and dignity. As the conflict continues, we must remember them and provide the support they need.
Authors: Faiza Rab is the Senior Manager with the Global Health and Research Unit at the Canadian Red Cross (CRC), she provides technical support to health programming in Ukraine and had her last mission in country in 2024.
Sabina Voronetska is a Ukrainian physician, who is the health coordinator for CRC programing in Ukraine and is base in Kyiv
Askar Umarbekov is the Head of Region for Europe at the CRC, he was previously the Director of Ukraine operations and visited the country several times since the escalation of the latest conflict.
Competing Interests: All authors are employees of the Canadian Red Cross
Acknowledgements: The authors sincerely thank Salim Sohani, Senior Director Health in Emergencies, Justine Touaux, Senior Advisor for Communications, and Emily Neilson, Senior Advisor for Humanitarian Diplomacy, Policy, and Movement Relations, at the Canadian Red Cross, for their thoughtful review and invaluable feedback.
Handling Editor: Neha Faruqui