Older people neglected by HIV/AIDS awareness campaigns

The HIV/AIDS epidemic has changed African family structure. At a time in their lives when older people might traditionally have expected to be supported by their adult children, they are instead forced to care for their sick children and orphaned grandchildren - with very little support. According to a report presented by HelpAge International (HAI) at the Ageing in Africa conference in South Africa last year, the burden of care is not the only way the epidemic affects older people - they are also at risk of HIV transmission through sexual activity. "People think older people are not interested in sex, especially older women. But they are interested, they do engage in sex, and they do get infected - even though the number is not big," HAI's Regional Representative for Africa, Tavengwa Nhongo, who wrote the report, told PlusNews. Society refused to acknowledge this risk, consequently excluding older people from HIV/AIDS prevention campaigns, he added. An assessment carried out in Zimbabwe revealed that most of the country's HIV/AIDS communication tools were designed with little consideration for older people; were mostly written in English, and the pictures used featured only children, the young and middle-aged people. "As a result, older people do not receive information and education that would help promote behaviour change, and so they remain at risk of HIV infection," the report found. There was also a risk that older people could perpetuate misconceptions about HIV/AIDS, and contradict prevention messages targeted at the youth in their care. Nevertheless, there was potential for older people to make an important contribution to HIV/AIDS awareness and prevention campaigns, as they were still seen as a source of wisdom in their communities, Nhongo said. The report called for older people to be targeted in awareness campaigns as they are now key to the survival of families affected by HIV/AIDS, and are doing this "with no resources at their disposal, and absolutely no recognition for their efforts". In South Africa, Namibia and Zimbabwe, 60 percent of children orphaned by the epidemic are living with their grandparents, who are one of the poorest groups in every community of Africa. Parents would use all available resources on their sick adult children, selling assets to provide medication and treatment - leaving them with nothing. Taking care of their orphaned grandchildren afterwards was an uphill battle, causing them to "walk a tightrope between survival and starvation", the report noted. Research in Tanzania found that the economic burden was not only a hardship for older people, some orphans also felt their needs were not met by their grandparents. According to Nhongo, even where resources were provided for supporting orphan care, older people often had difficulty accessing them. "In South Africa for example, grandparents caring for orphans may be eligible for foster care child support grants, but take-up rates are very low," the report said. Nhongo said this was also the case in "many other countries across the continent", and was caused by grandparents "not being made aware of these existing services". But even when they were aware, the stringent eligibility requirements, bureaucracy and exhaustive paperwork made them "throw in the towel before the process is completed," he told PlusNews. While older people were entirely responsible for the welfare of their grandchildren, they often compromised their own rights. "The failure of governments, NGOs and society at large to recognise and support older carers, serves to exacerbate the erosion of the rights of children and older people," the report warned. It concluded by suggesting that orphan care policies should be reviewed to take into account the role of older people in caring for orphans and other vulnerable children, while older people should be provided with skills to help them cope with those challenges. To access the report: www.uaps.org