Aging in Sub-Saharan Africa

In sub-Saharan Africa, older people make up a relatively small fraction of the total population and are supported primarily by family and other kinship networks. They have traditionally been viewed as repositories of information and wisdom, and are critical pillars of the community but as the HIV/AIDS pandemic destroys family systems, the elderly increasingly have to deal with the loss of their own support while absorbing the additional responsibilities of caring for their orphaned grandchildren. Aging in Sub-Saharan Africa explores ways to promote U.S. research interests and to augment the sub-Saharan governments' capacity to address the many challenges posed by population aging. Five major themes are explored in the book such as the need for a basic definition of "older person," the need for national governments to invest more in basic research and the coordination of data collection across countries, and the need for improved dialogue between local researchers and policy makers. This book makes three major recommendations: 1) the development of a research agenda 2) enhancing research opportunity and implementation and 3) the translation of research findings. Table of Contents Front Matter Executive Summary Part I: Report -- 1. Aging in Sub-Saharan Africa: Recommendations for Furthering Research References Part II: Papers -- 2. Aging in Sub-Saharan Africa: The Changing Demography of the Region 3. Demographic Impacts of the HIV Epidemic and Consequences of Population-wide Treatment of HIV for the Elderly: Results from Microsimulation 4. The HIV/AIDS Epidemic, Kin Relations, Living Arrangements, and the Elderly in South Africa. 5. Older Adults and the Health Transition in Agincourt, Rural South Africa: New Understanding, Growing Complexity 6. The Situation of Older People in Poor Urban Settings: The Case of Nairobi, Kenya 7. Labor Force Withdrawal of the Elderly in South Africa 8. HIV/AIDS and Older People in South Africa 9. Interactions Between Socioeconomic Status and Living Arrangements in Predicting Gender-Specific Health Status Among the Elderly in Cameroon 10. Survey Measures of Health: How well do Self-Reported and Observed Indicators Measure Health and Predict Mortality? Appendix A Workshop Agenda Appendix B About the Contributors