Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies Center for Health Policy/Center for Primary Care and Outcomes Research Stanford University


Research at CHP/PCOR


The HIV/AIDS Pandemic and Africa's Orphaned Elderly

Project (Completed)
Ongoing

Investigators
Alan M. Garber (Principal Mentor) - Stanford University
Jay Bhattacharya - Investigator
Grant Miller - Investigator

The African elderly rely most upon their adult children-especially daughters and daughters-in-law-for care. It is often these same adult children that are most likely to be infected by HIV and to die from it. Thus, it seems likely that the epidemic has undermined the most important traditional source of support for the elderly in Africa. Despite the potential importance of the "orphaned elderly" in Africa, there has been no scholarly attention devoted to the topic. It is difficult to muster an effective response to a problem where there is such a dearth of information. This study uses novel data to establish the relationship between AIDS and growth in Africa's "orphaned elderly" who have lost their prime-age adult caregivers and lack of public sector support.