08.01.02. Please describe the employment conditions and any safeguarding concerns related to informal care workers for dementia | Kenya

08.01.02. Please describe the employment conditions and any safeguarding concerns related to informal care workers for dementia | Kenya

04 Apr 2022

Employment for care workers for dementia is often informal (in Kenya unorganized and unregulated domestic workers often referred to as house helps are employed informally (through special arrangements between the individual (caregiver) and the family member) as caregivers). This is most commonly the case in families where family members are unavailable to provide care due to their employment status. The monthly pay for the informal care worker greatly varies depending on the location but without health care insurance or social security (Venas News, 2019). Less than 10% have formal contracts (International Labour Organization, 2017). There is no formal curriculum developed for training on dementia care giving in Kenya and thus the rights of informal care workers for dementia is not recognized at the health care system or at the policy level (World Health Organization, 2017c).

References:

International Labour Organization. (2017). Planning for success: a Manual for domestic workers and their organizations. International Labour Organization (ILO), Jakarta. https://www.ilo.org/wcmsp5/groups/public/—asia/—ro-bangkok/—ilo-jakarta/documents/publication/wcms_579472.pdf

Venas News. (2019). Salary of a Maid/House help in Kenya 2019. VENASNEWS, 24 Janyary. Nairobi, Kenya. https://venasnews.co.ke/2019/01/24/salary-of-a-maidhouse-help-in-kenya-2019/

World Health Organization. (2017c). WHO series on long-term care: Towards long-term care systems in sub-Saharan Africa. Geneva, Switzerland. https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241513388