RAM-OP: A rapid assessment method for assessing the nutritional status, vulnerabilities, and needs of older people in emergency and development settings

Elrha Publication

P Fritsch,K Siling,M Myatt

March

2015

Output type

Journal article

Location

Ethiopia

Focus areas

Inclusion of people with disabilities and older people

Topics

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Michael Kanyingi Kimuhu (58) [L] talks with Elisabeth Wambutu (103) [centre], at Mrs. Wambutu's daughter in law's home in a village near Thika in Kenya's Central Province on August 16, 2013. Mr. Kimuhu is a programme officer for a Help Age affiliate, working with old people in his community. "Very few people wanted to serve the community here" says Mr. Kimuhu. "Temperament matters - how you receive certain calamities", and adds that "we realised older people would not feel comfortable getting information from the younger generation." <b>Anne Ndene Gatono, Peer Educator </b> Anne is about 65. She is a widow. She had 7 children, 3 boys and 4 girls. One of her sons and one of her daughters died of an AIDS-related illness, at a time when ARVs were not widely available. “People would just die then – there was no alternative.” In rural Kenya, men don’t generally look after their children on their own if the mother is no longer around. They tend to rely on other female members of the household to take care of the children. So although Anne’s grandchildren do have a father, Anne still cares for her grandchildren. Anne also looks after her 103 year old mother-in-law, Elisabeth. Elisabeth’s husband left her when she was about 40 and has re-married since. Anne and her family live together on a compound (plot of land with one house, cow-shed and granary). They also have quarter of an acre of land about 2 kms away, which they farm for their own use and to sell surplus to cover their costs. Anne works on the land from 7-12.30 in the morning – when it is cool enough to do so. <b>How did you feel when you found out your children were HIV positive? </b> It was quite a challenge when my children were living with HIV. But God helped me to cope. When a child is sick, one never expects them to actually die. So when they did, that was really bad. It was awful. At that time, people equated HIV with promiscuity, so people looked down on us. But it’s different now.

Older people are a neglected group in humanitarian responses. There is a need for a simple, cheap, and rapid tool to assess the nutrition and other needs of older people in humanitarian situations. A prototype Rapid Assessment Method for Older People (RAM-OP) was compared with the SMART method in a pilot in an urban/peri-urban setting in Ethiopia. RAM-OP survey results were comparable to the SMART survey at about two-thirds of the cost. Suggested changes to the RAM-OP method will be piloted in subsequent field trials.

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