A Socio-Cultural Narrative of Homes for Older People in Eswatini: A Wellness Perspective

Thandi F Khumalo ,Maxwell C.c Musingafi ,Rachael Mafumbabte

doi:10.7176/jcsd/51-02

Abstract

This paper presents a narrative of socio-cultural perceptions of homes for old people in Eswatini and their impact on indigenous and cultural norms of the old generation who are the beneficiaries of these homes. On top of establishing that there is a paucity of published research on elderly care and support in Eswatini, the paper argues that the majority of old people still reside in the rural areas where indigenous socio-cultural values are strongly held. It also establishes evidence of growing economic shocks and rising inequality, all heightening old-age vulnerabilities. The government has not sufficiently responded to the needs of older people even with the constant advantage of the low population of older people in Eswatini. The paper argues that Eswatini needs interventions that are culturally appropriate for successes to be recorded in all aspects of development. It advocates for the UNESCO (1995-2012) model that calls for interventions that are culturally appropriate, gender and age responsive, grounded in human rights and involving people affected by the interventions. There is need for a care and support system that permits the elderly to remain in their homes. Keywords: Older people, homes, Eswatini, socio-cultural, narratives DOI : 10.7176/JCSD/51-02 Publication date :September 30 th 2019

Highlights

Analytical framework Drawing from Luppa et al (2009) it is argued that older people prefer to remain in their homes because they are able to maintain the integrity of their social network, preserve environmental landmarks and enjoy life
1988 cited in Ramashala noted that “health for the elderly may be conceptualised as the ability to live and function effectively in society and to exercise maximum self-reliance and autonomy; it is not necessarily the total absence of disease”. Ramashala notes that this definition is closely related to the World Health Organization, 1989 definition of viewing the health of older people as their level of functioning, including degree of fitness rather than extent of pathology, which may be used as a measure of the amount of services the elderly will need from the community
While this paper acknowledges government action to establish old age homes due to pressure from reports of destitute older people received by the office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Department of Social Welfare, the argument presented in this paper is that the strong cultural background of Eswatini should have informed the nature of support that is appropriate for its context

Summary

Introduction

The population of Eswatini during the 2017 census year was 1,093,238 and is projected to be 1,303,090 by 2030 (Swaziland Government, 2017). Unlike many developing countries in the world Eswatini is not experiencing a rapid growth of the ageing population. The male and female populations are broken down into 5-year age groups represented as horizontal bars along the vertical axis, with the youngest age groups at the bottom and the oldest at the top. On the negative side the bulging young population directs resources and programmes away from the older populations with priority given to education and other needs of young people

Methods

Findings

Discussion

Conclusion