In this post Vayda Megannon, Elena Moore and Zeenat Samodien (University of Cape Town) share a new study of the Family Caregiving Programme, undertaken across seven sites in the Western Cape, Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal provinces. The study engaged with 96 older persons and 103 family caregivers to explore the lived dynamics of elder care.

The findings reveal that although most older persons do receive some form of care, this is overwhelmingly provided by daughters and female kin in conditions of material scarcity. Far from representing a benign preference for family-based care, ageing in place in South Africa often entails the transfer of responsibility from the state to the household, with considerable costs borne by women and their families.

You can read the full blog post here.