Aging & Society: Eighth Interdisciplinary Conference

Abstract

Kinship care is an important practice in the care of older persons among diverse religious and cultural communities in South Africa. These systems of informal care co-exist with formal social welfare provision for older persons. However, limited information exists on how these arrangements are negotiated or unfold within extended and inter-generational family contexts. This paper presents preliminary findings of a study on the care of older persons in a Muslim community in the Cape Town Metropolitan District, South Africa; participant’s views on care, including family and institutional care, religion, and social context are presented to illustrate decision-making in this regard. These findings are linked to the South African policy framework for older persons to identify how the approach could be more culturally sensitive to support the well-being of older persons in diverse communities.