Description:
The design and implementation of integrated services for the care, support and protection of older persons.
Purpose of the Programme:
The Older Persons Act no.13 of 2006 deals effectively with the plight of older persons by establishing a framework aimed at the empowerment and protection of older persons and at the promotion and maintenance of their status, rights, well-being, safety and security.
The aim is to facilitate accessible, equitable and affordable services to older persons and to empower them to continue to live meaningfully and constructively in a society that recognises them as important sources of knowledge, wisdom and experience.
The purpose of the Programme is to create a caring and integrated system of social development services that facilitates human development and an improvement in the quality of life for older persons.
This sub-programme focuses on caring for frail older persons with residential facilities (24) whilst increasing accessibility of community-based services to older persons. These community-based services include services at community-based service centres, Golden Games, Active Ageing programmes, and counselling services with a renewed focus for the next five years on Alzheimer’s and Elder Abuse through the establishment of support groups by Alzheimer’s South Africa.
The targets set for caring for frail older persons considered the number of older persons (frail), 60+ residing in a facility each month. The target for community-based services is informed by the different categories of services provided to older persons e.g., Golden Games, Alzheimer’s, Counseling, the demographic trends of Alzheimer’s, Abuse of older persons and baseline data.
Community-based services are resources with transfer budget (funding of posts at Alzheimer’s South Africa, Age-in-Action, monthly subsidy community-based service centres) and Goods and Services budget (funding of Golden Games Programme, Centenary anniversaries for older persons and monitoring of services, service delivery audits at organisations).
Services:
Residential Facilities
The homes for the Aged are residential facilities that accommodate and care for older persons who are frail and in need of 24-hour care and support services and older persons who need special attention. The services to older persons are rendered according to the Older Persons Act, no.13 of 2006.
25 residential facilities are registered and funded by the Department. According to funding guidelines for the 2024/2025 financial year, all older persons who are 60 years and above and are in receipt of an Old Age Grant, will be funded. Further, those who receive a civil pension (grant) with an additional source of income, including persons with disabilities below the age of 60, accommodated in these facilities will be funded less of the unit cost, as they all access the same services within the residential facilities.
Services are also rendered to older persons in need of care and protection to combat the abuse of older persons. To facilitate the removal of the older person concerned to a hospital, in case of injury or to a shelter or Assisted Living facility for safety measures.
Services rendered by residential facilities:
The following services may be provided at residential facilities, namely
- 24-hour care and support services to frail older persons;
- Care and supervision services to older persons who are suffering from dementia and related diseases;
- Rehabilitation services;
- Public education on issues of ageing;
- Counselling services to residents and family members;
- Implementation and monitoring of outreach programmes;
- Provision of beds for the temporary accommodation of older persons at risk;
- Respite care services;
- Training of caregivers volunteering to deal effectively with frail older persons.
Community-based care and support services for older persons
Older persons receiving community-based care and support services have the right to reside at home as long as possible. The community-based programmes fall into two categories, namely:
- Prevention and promotion programmes ensure the independent living of older persons in the community.
- Home-based care ensures that frail older persons receive maximum care within the community through a comprehensive range of integrated services. This Programme includes the provision of hygienic and physical care for older persons. The Department has been working in partnership with the Age-in-Action organisation to render this Programme. A total of 194 caregivers are funded at the scale of EPWP to render services to 1 800 older persons within the Province.
For the 2024/25 financial year, 41 service centres submitted their business plans for funding and to render the programmes that aimed at economic empowerment of older persons, provision of nutritionally balanced meals to needy older persons, provision of information sessions and inter-generational programmes, including active ageing programme.
The Active Ageing Programme (Golden Games) was introduced by the National Department of Social Development to keep older persons active through exercises and to encourage them to live a healthy life to reduce the risk of chronic diseases such as hypertension, diabetes and osteoporosis. The Northern Cape older persons participated in the Golden Games the previous financial year, hosted by Mpumalanga province. This financial year 2024/25 North West province is hosting and older persons are busy with their preparation that starts at the local, and district level before the provincial event. During the provincial event, the best participants are then nominated to participate at the National level to represent the Province.
Both residential facilities and service centres are monitored by District Social Workers to check compliance and the Department renders support where necessary for the benefit of older persons.
The following Commemoration days for older persons are celebrated annually with older persons in all five Districts:
- 15 June: World Elder Abuse Awareness Day (WEAAD)
- 21 September: Alzheimer's Day in partnership with ADASA (Association for Dementia & Alzheimer’s of South Africa NPC)
- 1 October: International Day for Older Persons
- Nov-Dec, as part of the MEC's Program: Appreciation functions for older persons;
- Centenary functions for older persons who turn 100 years and above.
