Aging at Home: The Elderly in Gauteng, South Africa in the Context of COVID-19

This chapter assesses the lives of elderly residents in the Gauteng city-region in South Africa, where the HIV/AIDS pandemic has already placed a disproportionate financial and caregiving burden on the elderly. It uses data from the Gauteng City-Region Observatory's Quality of Life Survey to better understand the challenges for the elderly during the COVID-19 pandemic. It also argues that the elderly may be able to absorb some of the socio-economic shocks of the pandemic better than younger generations but are particularly vulnerable in terms of their physical and mental health. The chapter analyzes a range of variables covering living conditions, health vulnerabilities, and roles within families and households to better understand the vulnerabilities faced by older Black Africans in Gauteng with regard to COVID-19. It scrutinizes how the elderly form part of families and households, and fulfill key caregiving and economic roles in the province.