Developing the long-term care economy in Gauteng, South Africa: Expanding opportunities for work and equality

01 Apr 2018
01 Apr 2018

ILC SOUTH AFRICA

ILCSA is operated at two sites: the University of Cape Town (UCT) (Sebastiana Kalula) and North West University (NWU) (Jaco Hoffman). Recent activities at the two sites described below represent the combined output of ILCSA.

At North West University

Developing the long-term care economy in Gauteng, South Africa: Expanding opportunities for work and equality

A strategy for a long-term care (LTC) economy in Gauteng, South Africa’s province in which Johannesburg and Pretoria are located, was developed in a meeting convened by Jaco Hoffman, Professor Isabella Aboderin (African Population and Health Research Centre, Kenya) and Professor Anne Margriet Pot (WHO, Geneva), held at NWU on March 5-6, 2018. Over 100 academicians, policy makers, and representatives of the UN, the African Union, civil society and the private sector participated in the multi-disciplinary Research-Policy-Practice (RPP) Dialogue to clarify a case for an LTC economy and to assess the potential for one in Gauteng. The core question discussed was whether LTC needs for older persons in need of care as well as other persons with care dependencies engender employment opportunities for younger persons in the province. A well-developed LTC economy could foster enhanced quality of care for the growing number of older care recipients, as well as forge job growth.

A six-point short-term (2018–2020) strategy developed in the dialogue comprises:

  1. A situational analysis, including i) a needs assessment of  LTC, ii) a mapping of the current landscape of LTC service provision and financing, and iii) a mapping of potential platforms for LTC service expansion.
  2. The governance and coordination of an LTC economy in Gauteng.
  3. The unemployment and care interface.
  4. Training, accreditation, regulation and registration of long-term caregivers.
  5. A monitoring and evaluation framework.
  6. Resourcing of an action plan.

Click here for the programme.