Migrant Elderly People, SWITZERLAND
June 2007

With the advent of the 21st century, developing countries find themselves confronted with a new phenomenon: the migration of elderly people. There are no structures set up to cope with this type of migrants, and countries are still struggling to put in place an appropriate reception policy to deal with these people. Problems learning a new language, incapacity to work, or lack of work permit, and poor health – all these factors lead to isolation, which is very difficult to escape from. These people are subject to the same laws as all other migrants, but it’s easy to imagine what it must be like for someone of retirement age to have to live under cover, or suffer the endless wait for a response to their application for asylum.
What are the reasons that force elderly people to leave their country? How are they received? What is their experience of migration? These are some of the issues raised in this report.