Community solidarity and intergenerational relationships in the care of older people in Africa

Résumé fourni par la source

The world’s population is aging quickly, and this is especially true in low-income nations like those in Africa. Every nation will have to deal with the effects of an aging population. Most of the continent’s older population resides in southern Africa. Although population ageing is a global phenomenon, it is most pronounced in developing nations. Older persons generally have multiple needs that subject them to the risks of poverty, neglect, abuse, serious illness and institutionalisation. They are also likely to be affected by chronic conditions, physical degeneration, frailty as well as social and psychological problems resulting from the ageing process. Although in traditional African culture, care for older persons was provided by the community and within the extended family system, their demise because of modernisation, urbanisation and the deteriorating economic conditions has diminished the capacity of the family to care for them and thereby necessitating the need to substitute mechanisms to plug this yawning gap. Therefore, this paper presents the traditional care systems in Lesotho. The paper highlights and recommends the resuscitation of indigenous Basotho caring practices. It suggests strategies for building a close relationship between older persons and the youth as a mechanism for bridging disparity between the two generations. Lastly, the paper proposes instruments for care, support and protection of older persons in Lesotho.