This photo showing a family in Soweto, South Africa, illustrates positive ageing in Africa. Grandmothers and grandfathers are not burdens, but crucial resources.
There are many models that fall under the African Ageing Theory (AAT). In this blog, Nyanguru’s model is shared.
Nyanguru (read biography here) was a social work academic who taught in Zimbabwe and Lesotho. The focus for his research was ageing. He viewed aging from an African Ubuntu perspective. Basic elements from his work on ageing are:
- Families have the ultimate responsibility to take care of older persons and this has to be encouraged. In one of his researches he reported with surprise that “Many of the children were unable to support their parents because of their own family obligations. The majority of the children neither lived with their parents nor visited them regularly. The elderly parents received few remittances from their children, even those who were employed”, (Nyanguru et al, 1994)
- “Maintenance of the family structure should not necessarily be subject to legislation but should be the basis of all national planning”, (Nyanguru et al, 1994).
- Institutionalisation should not be a priority “Not enough thought has been given to alternatives to institutions in many developed countries”, (Nyanguru et al, 1994). Read more
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