AIDS programmes forgetting elderly caregivers

Namibia's HIV/AIDS policies have not kept pace with the extent to which the elderly can contribute to the fight against the pandemic. Marie Farmer, chief social worker in the Ministry of Health and Social Services, charged that older people, who were often raising their orphaned grandchildren, were usually sidelined by awareness programmes because of their age. "I know for a fact that not much attention is given to counselling and other forms of assistance [for] grandparents," Farmer told the Namibian newspaper. Discussions are currently underway in government about specialised programmes for the elderly, who, according to the 2004 'Common Country Assessment' prepared under the auspices of the UN Development Assistance Framework, provided most of the care for orphans under the age of 18 in rural areas.