Ukraine: Enabling older people and people with disabilities to restore their lives in safety and dignity
Ukraine: Enabling older people and people with disabilities to restore their lives in safety and dignity
Across Ukraine, UNHCR, the UN Refugee Agency, is working with the Ministry of Social Policy, Family and Unity to strengthen and expand social services for displaced older people and people with disabilities, including those who have been evacuated from frontline communities.
This includes the rehabilitation of service premises in two sanatoria – specialized medical facilities – in Myrhorod and Truskavets and several other facilities, transforming them into centres for assisted living and facility-based care. The newly piloted social adaptation programme in the two sanatoria — specifically designed for older people and people with disabilities in displacement —facilitate people’s move to independent living.
“For the first time in years of war, I am living, not just surviving”
Andrii Sugak, 59, fled from Kostyantynivka in Donetsk region after both his and his sister’s houses were destroyed by shelling. Together with his sister and elderly father, he arrived at Slava Sanatorium in Myrhorod, Poltava region, after months of moving between different homes, trying to survive.
As a wheelchair user, Andrii couldn’t find conditions suitable for his mobility needs, and being separated from his family was not an option.
“We wanted to leave earlier but couldn't find a place. There were no conditions suitable for a wheelchair user, and no way for the whole family to stay together. We searched and searched, until finally, we found this place,” he says.
The Slava Sanatorium in Myrhorod offered the family two rooms and something more: a much-needed sense of stability after war and displacement disrupted their entire lives. “Here, it’s comfortable and wheelchair friendly. There’s finally water in the tap, warmth, care. For the first time in years of war, I am living, not just surviving,” explains Andrii.
Back home, Andrii had built his life around a sense of purpose. "My house was fully equipped for my needs, and with all my tools, as I professionally fixed electronic devices. It wasn’t just work —it was my life. People came to me for help, and I felt I had a purpose. I hope to stay here for a while, get some rest, and eventually find a way to start working again to support others,” he said.
Beyond providing different types of social services, the two UNHCR-supported sanatoria run under the auspices of the Ministry of Social Policy, Family and Unity are part of a progressive pilot programme aimed at enabling displaced people to regain independence and rebuild their lives. This social adaptation pilot – implemented in close cooperation between the Ministry, UNHCR and its local NGO partners Right to Protection, Rokada and Neeka – supports people through individual social adaptation plans to restore their lives and live independently, and strengthens capacity for this complex social service adapted to the particular needs of older people and people with disabilities in displacement.
Social adaptation – an individualized approach according to needs
The social adaptation service is tailored to the situation of the individual and helps internally displaced people transition toward longer-term solutions, while also strengthening community bonds and facilitating their integration into a new community. This is particularly important for older people who, prior to their displacement, lived independently in their houses, often with the support of neighbors and family members living nearby. However, when they fled the war, destruction and occupation, they lost these vital social support networks. Social adaptation looks at the situation of a person in its entirety and addresses needs comprehensively.
Lyudmila Logvin, a social worker with UNHCR’s NGO partner Right to Protection emphasizes that there’s no one-size-fits-all solution — every displaced person’s path must be shaped around their specific needs, capacities and circumstances.
“We try to identify what exactly stands in the way of the individual’s next step. In some cases, we help people find a house in a village where they only pay utilities or a symbolic rent, or find places where two or three people can live together affordably. Some people can only live near a hospital and pharmacy because of their health; and others need continued social care. But solutions can be hard to come by. That’s why we create individual plans, explore options together and support the person in the social adaptation process”, explains Lyudmila.
“You feel seen, not just helped”
In Lviv region, Oleksandr is doing his best to integrate in his new community. Originally from Lysychansk, Luhansk region, he was forced to flee in 2022, after his home was destroyed by shelling. After spending two difficult years in Lviv, moving between temporary accommodations, he was finally relocated to an assisted living facility in Zaplatyn village.
An important turning point for Oleksandr was finding a local support group for people with disabilities. “I had been searching for a space like this since I became disabled. It’s not a place where people pity you. It’s a place where they understand you. You feel seen, not just helped.”
Oleksandr is now preparing to take his driving exam and actively looking for work as an electric welder. He has also applied for a grant to purchase tools so he can start to work and be back in business. “I want to earn people’s respect. I want to be part of this incredible community. But to do this, I must work and be independent.” The social service of assisted living is designed to support people like Oleksandr, enabling them to restore their lives and live independently.
Older people and people with disabilities are among the hardest hit by war and displacement. Such initiatives to expand and strengthen social services for assisted living, facility-based care and social adaptation are vital to ensure safety and dignity for older people and people with disabilities in displacement and support them to restore their lives and live independently whenever possible.
By restoring the ability to live independently, the programme supports the implementation of Ukraine’s National Strategy on Deinstitutionalization, which seeks to replace institutional care with people-centred approaches. UNHCR's efforts also tie in with the Government's plans to support an active aging approach.
“Displacement is such a disruptive and paralyzing experience, and it creates many needs that people did not have before. Older people are among those most affected by displacement. With these initiatives, that we help develop, Ukraine is not only protecting its most vulnerable people, it is reshaping its social protection systems for a future that caters better to their elderly population,” says Nina Schrepfer, Assisting Representative for Protection in UNHCR Ukraine.
