Boon H., Ruiter R.A.C., James S., Van Den Borne B., Williams E., Reddy P.
Health Promotion Research and Development Unit, Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa; Department of Work and Social Psychology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands; Department of Health Promotion and Health Education, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands; Horizons, Population Council, Johannesburg, South Africa; Department of Work and Social Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD, Maastricht, Netherlands
Boon, H., Health Promotion Research and Development Unit, Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa, Department of Work and Social Psychology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands, Department of Work and Social Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, Maastricht University, P.O. Box 616, 6200 MD, Maastricht, Netherlands; Ruiter, R.A.C., Department of Work and Social Psychology, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands; James, S., Health Promotion Research and Development Unit, Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa; Van Den Borne, B., Department of Health Promotion and Health Education, Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands; Williams, E., Horizons, Population Council, Johannesburg, South Africa; Reddy, P., Health Promotion Research and Development Unit, Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa
The increasing HIV and AIDS epidemic in South Africa poses a substantial burden to older people, in particular older women who mainly provide care for sick adult children and their grandchildren who have become orphaned and rendered vulnerable by the death or illness of their parents. In this study, 202 isiXhosa speaking older caregivers from Motherwell in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa were trained to provide care for grandchildren and adult children living with HIV or AIDS. Based on a community needs assessment, a health education intervention comprising four modules was designed to improve skills and knowledge which would be used to assist older people in their care-giving tasks. Some topics were HIV and AIDS knowledge, effective intergenerational communication, providing home-based basic nursing care, accessing social services and grants, and relaxation techniques. Structured one-on-one interviews measured differences between pre-intervention and post-intervention scores among those who attended all four modules vs. those that missed one or more of the sessions. The results demonstrated that older people who participated in all four workshops perceived themselves more able and in control to provide nursing care. The participants also showed a more positive attitude towards people living with HIV or AIDS and reported an increased level of HIV and AIDS knowledge. The results provided valuable information upon which the development of future interventions may be based and psychosocial and structural needs of the older caregivers may be addressed by relevant stakeholders. © The Author(s) 2009.
aged; article; attitude to health; caregiver; community care; education; female; health education; human; Human immunodeficiency virus infection; interview; male; middle aged; mortality; nursing; orphaned child; pilot study; psychological aspect; South Africa; Aged; Aged, 80 and over; Caregivers; Child, Orphaned; Community Networks; Female; Health Education; Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; HIV Infections; Humans; Interviews as Topic; Male; Middle Aged; Pilot Projects; South Africa