Older people are neglected and forgotten in Sudan's Darfur camps, because they are frequently not included in international humanitarian food and health programs, warns a survey released in Nairobi Friday.

The Kenya-based Help Age International, a global network which provides care for the aged, conducted a survey in five camps in west Darfur which reveals that older people felt isolated and lonely because of food insecurity.

On average, people over the age of 50 comprise 10 percent of a camp's population in Darfur.

The HelpAge International has called on all international humanitarian organizations working in Darfur to mainstream aging issues into their ongoing programs and improve aid provision for older people.

"Although older people, along with children, are classed as a vulnerable group, many interviewed, were not being directly targeted by aid agencies," the survey says.

It notes that over 20 percent of older people were not accessing World Food Program food rations.

The survey shows that 45 percent of older people claimed not to have proper shelter while 61 percent claimed to have a chronic disease that needed specialized treatment or drugs, which were not available to them.

"Around 29 percent were caring for orphaned children, but still not targeted by humanitarian organizations for supplementary food aid," it says.

The research also found that few older people had adequate food, either in quality or quantity.

"Older people have been disproportionately affected by the Darfur crisis and left without any support. Many humanitarian agencies focus on other vulnerable groups such as children and women, but older people are equally in need and are in danger of becoming the most marginalized group in Darfur," said Susan Erb, Help Age International's Darfur program manager.

She said eye health was the most common health problem and 19 percent of those interviewed had severely impaired vision, due to blindness or other eye problems.

"Along with dental infections, this was a contributing factor to the poor access and consumption levels of adequate food, therefore increasing the risk of malnutrition in older people," said Erb.

She said half of all the older people interviewed by Help Age International live alone, most of whom are widows without extended family support.

Source: Xinhua