Policy

The older refugee conference‚ 'From Isolation to Integration'‚ took place in January 2008.

This conference was the culmination of a two-year joint programme focussing on older refugees‚ by Age Concern‚ the Refugee Council and the Association of Greater London Older Women (AGLOW). 

The Older Refugees programme was a ground-breaking programme in a society where it is hard to be old‚ where there is a lack of respect for older people and where it is also very hard to be a refugee or asylum-seeker.  Asylum-seekers and refugees are met with disbelief and hostility in our society. 

Older refugees and asylum-seekers often fall between two stools‚ in terms of policy and service delivery.  There are often not enough opportunities to share practical experience and to create solutions‚ between specialist organisations such as AGe Concern and the Refugee Council. 

This partnership programme has enabled us to make a start in terms of hearing directly from older refugees and asylum-seekers about their experiences‚ and in engaging with policy-makers and service providers to start identifying practical solutions.

 You can download the conference report and presentations below.  

For further information about the Older Refugees Programme‚ please contact:

Claire Ball
National Development & Policy Officer
Black & Minority EThnic (BME) Elders
Tel: 020 8765 7718 
Email: Claire Ball