Abstract
In their old age, older persons require adequate housing for them to live in dignity. Adequate housing is known to link older persons with interconnected socio-economic rights and thus promoting their mental and physical health. Improving access to adequate housing for older persons is in view of their exposure to multiple vulnerabilities especially in South Africa and many other developing countries. Also referred to as senior citizens, many older persons in the country live in poor dilapidated housing which makes them prone to crime, neglect, rape, malnutrition, vagaries of weather leading to illnesses and social exclusion among other social ills. Informed by a social development framework, this study aimed to explore the lived housing experiences of older persons in a low-income community in Alexandra, which is situated north of Johannesburg. Employing a qualitative approach and an exploratory design – with elements of phenomenology, the study deeply engaged and interacted with senior citizens discussing their housing experiences. The nine participants were selected through snowball sampling and were interviewed using semi-structured interviews after signing consent forms; agreeing to participate and have the conversations audio recorded. Thematic content analysis was used to analyse the data emanating from these conversations with the senior citizens. While older persons shared that they were content in accessing clean water and electricity through their housing, they were gripped with perpetual fear of crime, food insecurity and experienced lack of privacy. Among others, the study recommends a thoughtful integrated approach to housing for older persons; where the provision of shelter is made with emphasis of their rights to safety, privacy, food and nutrition and healthcare. In achieving this, all local stakeholders need to work in a collaborative effort with older persons with aim to build accessible and dignified housing for this population category.
M.A. (Community Development)