The views of the elderly on the impact that HIV and AIDS has on their lives in the Thulamela municipality, Vhembe district, Limpopo province
OUTPUT TYPE: Journal Article
PUBLICATION YEAR: 2015
TITLE AUTHOR(S): V.J.Singo, R.T.Lebese, T.X.Maluleke, L.H.Nemathaga
KEYWORDS: ELDERLY, HIV/AIDS, LIMPOPO PROVINCE
Print: HSRC Library: shelf number 8715
HANDLE: 20.500.11910/1897
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11910/1897
If you would like to obtain a copy of this Research Output, please contact Hanlie Baudin at researchoutputs@hsrc.ac.za.
Abstract
HIV and AIDS have a devastating impact on the lives of elderly people, particularly so because they are often expected to take care of their terminally ill children and assume the responsibility of looking after children orphaned by AIDS - in most cases with very little resources. The study sought to achieve to describe the views of elderly people regarding the impact of HIV and AIDS on their lives, to determine the challenges that elderly people living with HIV or AIDS (EPLWHA) face in their daily lives, and to gain a sense of the coping strategies they use to overcome the obstacles they face in relation to HIV and AIDS. Ethical issues, such as permission to conduct the study, informed consent, confidentiality and anonymity, withdrawal of participation and measure to ensure trustworthiness, were ensured. This was a qualitative, explorative, descriptive study. Participants were interviewed using an interview guide. Information provided by the participants was captured on a tape recorder and analysed using open coding, and thereafter collated into themes, categories and sub-themes. The study findings revealed that HIV and AIDS have serious negative impacts on the lives of elderly people, particularly those living in poverty. The following key areas in relation to EPLWHA were established: psychological or emotional health, as well as household and socio-economic burdens. Considering the role that elderly people play in the community in so far as HIV and AIDS are concerned, primary health promotion and social welfare programmes should be directed at educating all elderly people and their service providers on how to cope with the health and social problems related to HIV and AIDS.-
Related Research Outputs:
- Perception of social workers on the effects of caring for HIV positive children, orphans and the elderly people in Vhembe district, Limpopo province, South Africa
- HIV/AIDS information credibility and seeking among South African youth
- Experience of abuse among women in a rural subdistrict of Limpopo province, South Africa
- HIV and AIDS strategy 2008-2012
- Know your HIV prevention response (KYR) analysis report for component 3: Limpopo provincial report
- Health status of elderly citizens at Siyandhani village of the Limpopo province, South Africa
- Perceptions of professional nurses in rural hospitals of the Limpopo
- Professional nurses' views regarding stigma and discrimination in the care of HIV and AIDS patients in rural hospitals of the Limpopo province, South Africa
- Mental health and HIV sexual risk behaviour among University of Limpopo students
- 'Something for something': the importance of talking about transactional sex with youth in South Africa using a resilience-based approach
- Time for the next steps
- Impacts and interventions: the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the children of South Africa
- Children and HIV/AIDS
- Impacts and interventions: the HIV/AIDS epidemic and the children of South Africa
- Managing chronic diseases in less developed countries: healthy teamworking and patient partnership are just as important as adequate funding
- Nelson Mandela/HSRC study of HIV/AIDS: South African national HIV prevalence, behavioural risks and mass media: household survey 2002
- Sickness, death and poverty - our bequest to orphans
- Sex & risk: facilitator's manual: an HIV/AIDS risk reduction programme for tertiary level students
- Sex & risk: student's workbook an HIV/AIDS risk reduction programme for tertiary level students
- HIV/AIDS and land: case studies from Kenya, Lesotho and South Africa