Community dwelling elderly: A study framed within the ICF-model to determine their perception of their Quality of Life

Background: In addition to poverty, HIV/AIDS is a serious problem in South Africa. The advent of HIV/AIDS has resulted in an upsurge in the number of children that are orphaned (SANAC, 2011). This leads to a change in the core... [ view full abstract ]

Background:
In addition to poverty, HIV/AIDS is a serious problem in South Africa. The advent of HIV/AIDS has resulted in an upsurge in the number of children that are orphaned (SANAC, 2011). This leads to a change in the core family structure. The elderly can’t rely anymore on the aid of their children and has to take on the responsibility of caring and educating their grandchildren. The purpose of this research is to find out what the current functioning of community dwelling elderly in KwaZulu-Natal is?

Method:
An exploratory descriptive design framed within the ICF model (WHO, 2001) was used. As the study population comprises of traditional indigenous community dwelling elderly of 65 years and older we followed in-depth procedures to gain community entry and approval of tools and research fieldworkers to be used in research.

Results:
Only a third of participants are satisfied with their ability to perform daily living activities. The unavailability of assistive devices is indicated as the worst environmental barrier to their functioning. Health was indicated as a main concern for the functioning of the participants. They experienced more than 50% dissatisfaction with both their physical and psychological health.

Conclusion:
The use of the ICF model assisted in the choice of tools in order to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the functioning of the elderly.

Application to Practice:
Following cultural procedures for community entry has helped to obtain good participation from elderly in the research.