THE NIGERIAN JOURNAL OF SOCIOLOGY AND ANTHROPOLOGY
ISSN: 0331-4111
Volume 12, No. 1, (2014)
DOI: 10.36108/NJSA/4102/12(0111)
Interrogating the Relevance of Home and Community-Based Services in Addressing Old Age Challenges in Lagos State, Nigeria
Bola Amaike
Department of Sociology Faculty of Social Sciences University of Lagos, Nigeria
bolaamaike@yahoo.com, gamaike@unilag.edu.ng
Abstract
The article examines the relevance of informal care in addressing old age challenges in Lagos State. Although informal care is an integral aspect of caregiving in Nigeria, it has received little or no attention because of dearth of policy thrust and framework. Older people in Nigeria receive informal care which helps to promote optimal ageing and socio-economic well-being. A total of 1,321 retired older men and women in Lagos State, who were care recipients, were asked to assess the nature and sources of old age care as well as their preferences for old age care. The findings indicate that older people preferred informal care to institutional care because the former promotes autonomy, independence and respect from caregivers. This article is based on older people’s subjective assessment of home and community-based services which serves as a useful guide to researchers and social gerontologists in addressing old age challenges in Lagos State, Nigeria.
Keywords: ageing, caregiving, elderly, informal care, home and communitybased services