Community versus family support in caregiving of older adults: implications for social work practitioners in South-East Nigeria

ABSTRACT

Nigeria is home to the highest number of older adults in Africa. The country will continue to experience an upward trend in the size of this sub-population, yet there are limited government measures to address their well-being. Studies have shown that families and communities are predominant sources of support in caregiving for older adults in Nigeria. However, there seems to be a few studies that ascertain the extent to which these support systems provide support to older adults, especially in the South-East Nigeria. This study, therefore, will attempt to fill this significant gap because access to justice, a high standard of living, quality of life, and well-being of all citizens including older adults constitute a crucial point in the African Union and the 2030 global agenda. Focus group discussions and in-depth interviews were used to collect data from older adults and their caregivers (N = 40). The data were analysed thematically. Most of the support in caregiving for older adults is filial with minimal support from community members. Thus, we advocate for welfare policies that will augment the filial efforts in supporting older adults. Social workers also should facilitate the implementation of the policies and equally help to strengthen supportive relationships among community members.

KEYWORDS:

• Caregiving
• community support
• family support
• older adults
• social policy
• social workers

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Samuel O. Ebimgbo

Samuel O. Ebimgbo studied Social Work in Diploma and Bachelor of Science from the University of Nigeria in 2004 and 2012, respectively. He obtained Masters’ Degree in Social Work (Social Gerontology) from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka in 2017. Currently, he is a lecturer II in the Department of Social Work. He has assisted in teaching the undergraduates on the following courses: Social Work practice with children, Field work orientation, Dynamic of social functioning, Field work practice, Care management, Method of social work research, Element of scientific thought etc.

Chiemezie S. Atama

Chiemezie Atama holds a PhD in Sociology (Population Studies). She is Senior Lecturer and a researcher at the Department of Sociology and Anthropology University of Nigeria, Nsukka. Her areas of research interest include Population, Gender and family studies, sexual and reproductive health and rights. She is also the Founding Director Equity Watch Initiative [E-WIN], a non-governmental organisation that is committed to promoting gender equality and empowering women and girls.

Emeka E. Igboeli

Emeka E. Igboeli holds a Bachelor’s degree and Master’s degree in geography (Cartography). Currently, he is a lecturer in the Department of Geography, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria. He has published several articles in peer-reviewed journals.

Christy N. Obi-keguna

Christy N. Obi-keguna graduated in 1998 with a Bachelor’s degree in Social Work and obtained her Master’s degree in Social Work in 2005. She also obtained a PhD in Social Work (Social Gerontology) in 2018. Currently, she is a lecturer and a researcher in the Department of Social Work, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria. She has published several articles on ageing and other social work issues.

Casmir O. Odo

Casmir O. Odo is an academic staff of the Department of Social Work. His research interest is in the area of Migration, social policy, and public health.