The provision of housing and care for older persons in Zambia: an assessment

Housing is a basic social need and adequate housing is an indicator of a countrys level of socio-economic development. For low-income families, housing is both a form of investment and a source of income generation through the rental of rooms. In Zambia, statistics show that in both quantitative and qualitative terms, the level of housing provision is incongruent with the rate of population growth, and that housing stock nowhere near meets basic minimum standards. A lack of decent housing is greater in rural areas and peri-urban residential areas, where persons in low-income groups, who are in the majority, reside. The objectives of this study were (1) to determine home ownership and the conditions of houses occupied by older persons, and (2) to assess the role of family, the community and government in the provision of housing and care for older persons in Lusaka. Through meeting these objectives, the study would determine the types of assistance needed from family and the community which could improve the quality of older persons lives, bearing in mind the effects of the Structural Adjustment Programme and HIV/AIDS-related illnesses and deaths on the working population.