07.02.01.11. Are home care services available? Are there differences in availability by location? What kind of services are provided in people’s homes? | South Africa

07.02.01.11. Are home care services available? Are there differences in availability by location? What kind of services are provided in people’s homes? | South Africa

15 Aug 2022

Yes, at a cost to the family with services skewed to more urban areas (see description under section 07.02). Examples of services offered in people’s homes are as follows (TAFTA, 2019a):

  • Personal care and hygiene (washing, bathing, grooming, dressing);
  • Home cleaning (tidying, making beds, laundry);
  • Shopping;
  • Issuing of medication;
  • Nursing care (administering injections, nursing procedures such wound dressing, etc.).

In addition, the Older Person’s Act (No.13 of 2006) includes the following services to be provided by home-based care programmes (see chapter 3, section 12 (3), p.8) of Act):

  • Rehabilitation programmes that include assistive devices;
  • Respite care;
  • Information, education and counselling for family, carers and community regarding ageing and associated conditions;
  • Provision of free health care to the frail and destitute (Government Gazette, 2006).
References:

Government Gazette. (2006). Older Persons Act, No.13 of 2006 (Vol. 13, Issue 1098). Available from: https://www.westerncape.gov.za/other/2012/3/older_persons_act.pdf

TAFTA. (2019a). Home-based care. Available from: https://www.tafta.org.za/home-based-care/