Abstract
Community-based care and support services for older persons aim at enhancing their quality of life and keeping them in their communities for as long as possible. The aim of this study was to evaluate these services in a specific community, namely the Motheo District, Free State Province. The views of three groups of participants were obtained, namely management committee members from organisations for older persons, older persons benefiting from these services, and social workers involved in these services. Findings from the three groups of participants were triangulated throughout the study and some recommendations were made for enhancing these services.
Highlights
In terms of the Older Persons Act, Act 13 of 2006 (Department of Social Development, 2006) older persons are encouraged to remain in the care of their families and their communities
The researchers in this study evaluated the community-based care and support services of the Department of Social Development
The research approach followed to do the evaluation was qualitative and exploratory in nature; in order to enhance these services for better service delivery to older persons, the viewpoints, perceptions and experiences of the following groups were sought: older persons who are recipients of the service; members of the management committees of the community based organisations; and the officials of the Department of Social Development
Summary
In terms of the Older Persons Act, Act 13 of 2006 (Department of Social Development, 2006) older persons are encouraged to remain in the care of their families and their communities. Older persons are often abused by their own families and community members. Help Age International (2003:14) point out that in most cases when an older person is expected to be looked after, they have to take on the role of caring for other family members without even the basic necessary resources. According to Statistics South Africa (2011:4), the 2001 census showed that in South Africa the population of older persons was at 7.3% and the number increased to 7.7% by 2011. This shows a huge increase in the number of older persons. The world population of older persons is projected to increase by 22% by the year 2050
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