An exploration of services and member profiles at Senior Service Centres in the Western Cape, South Africa
type: CreativeWork
description: Introduction The number of South Africans aged 60 years and older is increasing. The National Development Plan (NDP) aims to raise average life expectancy to 70 years by 2030. In response to similar global trends, the World Health Organization (WHO) developed the global Active Ageing Policy Framework (AAPF) to inform the actions taken by countries to address the needs of older persons, acknowledging the different contexts and cultures. The WHO recommended that the framework should have been evaluated to test its applicability and use in member countries by the first half of the twenty-first century. In South Africa, Senior Service Centres for Older persons were set up in communities to provide services to enhance the achievement of the goals of the AAPF. Unfortunately, little information is available on how the framework has been applied to inform services offered in African countries, including South Africa. This study explored services provided by Service Centres for Older Persons in the Western Cape using the WHO framework on Active Ageing as a guide to the services. The study was conducted in two phases. Aims In the first phase, the study explored the characteristics of Service Centres – the organisational structures, the types of services offered, the profile of the managers, and their perception of the needs of the members of the centres. In the second phase, the study explored the profile of the members of these centres by determining their socio-demographic profile, health and psychosocial characteristics. Methodology In phase 1, forty-one service centres were selected by stratified random sampling to proportionally represent the five districts and the Cape Metropole in the province. Only 35 service centres consented to take part in the study. In phase 2, a sample of convenience was recruited from 3 051 registered members at the 35 service centres. Only 625 members consented to participate. A cross sectional, descriptive research design was utilised to colle…
abstract: Introduction The number of South Africans aged 60 years and older is increasing. The National Development Plan (NDP) aims to raise average life expectancy to 70 years by 2030. In response to similar global trends, the World Health Organization (WHO) developed the global Active Ageing Policy Framework (AAPF) to inform the actions taken by countries to address the needs of older persons, acknowledging the different contexts and cultures. The WHO recommended that the framework should have been evaluated to test its applicability and use in member countries by the first half of the twenty-first century. In South Africa, Senior Service Centres for Older persons were set up in communities to provide services to enhance the achievement of the goals of the AAPF. Unfortunately, little information is available on how the framework has been applied to inform services offered in African countries, including South Africa. This study explored services provided by Service Centres for Older Persons in the Western Cape using the WHO framework on Active Ageing as a guide to the services. The study was conducted in two phases. Aims In the first phase, the study explored the characteristics of Service Centres – the organisational structures, the types of services offered, the profile of the managers, and their perception of the needs of the members of the centres. In the second phase, the study explored the profile of the members of these centres by determining their socio-demographic profile, health and psychosocial characteristics. Methodology In phase 1, forty-one service centres were selected by stratified random sampling to proportionally represent the five districts and the Cape Metropole in the province. Only 35 service centres consented to take part in the study. In phase 2, a sample of convenience was recruited from 3 051 registered members at the 35 service centres. Only 625 members consented to participate. A cross sectional, descriptive research design was utilised to colle…
author: Harris, Fahmida
keywords: Physiotherapy
date published: 2018
date modified: 2026-07-22T22:23:21Z
provider: University of Cape Town
publisher: Networked Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations
type: WebPage
source organization: Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences

PropertyValue
property ID: Handle
value: http://hdl.handle.net/11427/30061