Health of Older Caregivers for People with AIDS: A Prospective Study of Older People Living in Nairobi Slums, Kenya

Gloria Chepngeno-Langat, University of Southampton

Older people play a key role in caring for people with AIDS. 1,489 older people living in the slums in Nairobi were followed up over a 3-year period, to understand the transitions in caregiving status and trajectories in health. Three categories of older people comprising 65 AIDS caregivers, 102 other caregivers and 1,322 non-caregivers identified at baseline were assessed at end-line based on a functionality score and self-reported severe health problem as outcome measures. A majority of caregivers were still providing care at the end of the study with some taking on additional care recipients. Compared with non-caregivers, AIDS caregivers reported poor health, with men more likely to report poor health than women. New caregivers reported poorer health compared to those who have never provided care. However, the results indicate improvement in health over time, among caregivers. Timely intervention to support caregivers particularly at the onset of caregiving is recommended.