Aids putting strain on elderly says charity
Grandparents forced to care for orphans
Published:
The number of grandparents caring for grandchildren orphaned by Aids worldwide has doubled in the last decade, according to new research by Help the Aged.
More grandparents than ever before are the sole carers of their grandchildren, with up to half of the world’s 15million Aids orphans being cared for by a grandparent, the charity said.
The figures reveal that if this trend continues at a constant rate, the number of grandparents responsible for Aids orphans will double again by 2015, it warned.
The charity’s international manager, David Clarke, said: “These findings highlight the silent explosion of the number of grandparents fighting to keep their grandchildren alive.
“Unrecorded, unrecognised and unsupported, these older people, many in their 80s and 90s, will struggle on less than a dollar a day to feed newborns, nurse sick toddlers and put children through school.
“Throughout their tireless battle, many grandparents tell us their greatest fear is not knowing what will happen to their grandchildren once they have gone.”
The charity warned of “gaping holes” in the provision of international aid for older people, with the needs of older carers being underreported and overlooked.
Earlier this year a report by the joint United Nations programme on HIV and Aids, found that in sub-Saharan Africa alone the epidemic has orphaned nearly 12million children aged under 18.
It indicated that the natural age distribution in many African countries had been “dramatically skewed” by HIV.
This has raised concerns about poverty-stricken grandparents left lacking food, sleep and medicine for themselves, forced to work in physically demanding jobs, carry out heavy domestic tasks and nurse sick grandchildren.
The charity plans to present a signed petition to International Development Secretary Douglas Alexander calling on the UK Government to press the UN to act.
Such action would include ensuring older people are accounted for when tracking progress in tackling the HIV and Aids epidemic.
