Boon Hermien, Ruiter Robert A C, James Shegs, Van Den Borne Bart, Williams Eka, Reddy Priscilla
Health Promotion Research and Development Unit, Medical Research Council, Cape Town, South Africa.
J Cross Cult Gerontol. 2009 Dec;24(4):373-89. doi: 10.1007/s10823-009-9101-2.
The increasing HIV and AIDS epidemic in South Africa poses a substantial burden to older people, in particular older women who mainly provide care for sick adult children and their grandchildren who have become orphaned and rendered vulnerable by the death or illness of their parents. In this study, 202 isiXhosa speaking older caregivers from Motherwell in the Eastern Cape Province of South Africa were trained to provide care for grandchildren and adult children living with HIV or AIDS. Based on a community needs assessment, a health education intervention comprising four modules was designed to improve skills and knowledge which would be used to assist older people in their care-giving tasks. Some topics were HIV and AIDS knowledge, effective intergenerational communication, providing home-based basic nursing care, accessing social services and grants, and relaxation techniques. Structured one-on-one interviews measured differences between pre-intervention and post-intervention scores among those who attended all four modules vs. those that missed one or more of the sessions. The results demonstrated that older people who participated in all four workshops perceived themselves more able and in control to provide nursing care. The participants also showed a more positive attitude towards people living with HIV or AIDS and reported an increased level of HIV and AIDS knowledge. The results provided valuable information upon which the development of future interventions may be based and psychosocial and structural needs of the older caregivers may be addressed by relevant stakeholders.
南非日益严重的艾滋病毒和艾滋病疫情给老年人带来了沉重负担，尤其是老年妇女，她们主要照顾生病的成年子女以及因父母死亡或患病而成为孤儿且易受伤害的孙辈。在这项研究中，来自南非东开普省马瑟韦尔的202名说科萨语的老年护理人员接受了培训，以便照顾感染艾滋病毒或艾滋病的孙辈和成年子女。基于社区需求评估，设计了一个由四个模块组成的健康教育干预措施，以提高技能和知识，这些技能和知识将用于协助老年人完成护理任务。一些主题包括艾滋病毒和艾滋病知识、有效的代际沟通、提供居家基本护理、获取社会服务和补助金以及放松技巧。结构化的一对一访谈测量了参加所有四个模块的人与错过一个或多个课程的人在干预前和干预后分数之间的差异。结果表明，参加了所有四个工作坊的老年人认为自己更有能力且更能掌控提供护理。参与者对艾滋病毒或艾滋病感染者也表现出更积极的态度，并报告说他们的艾滋病毒和艾滋病知识水平有所提高。这些结果提供了宝贵的信息，未来干预措施的制定可基于此，相关利益攸关方也可满足老年护理人员的心理社会和结构需求。
