Email this article 
Hide
Show all
Original Research
What the elderly experience and expect from primary care services in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Submitted: 03 April 2019 | Published: 10 October 2019
About the author(s)
Keshena Naidoo, Department of Family Medicine, School of Nursing and Public Health, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South AfricaJacqueline van Wyk, Discipline of Clinical and Professional Practice, College of Health Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, South Africa
Abstract
Background: People aged 60 years and above are predicted to outnumber those aged under 5 years in South Africa for the first time by 2040. This will put increased demands on the health system to address geriatric health needs. However, data on geriatric populations in sub-Saharan Africa are scarce. Health policymakers need to be informed of the expectations of the elderly people regarding health services, especially at primary care level.
Aim: The aim of this study was to explore the experiences and expectations of people aged 60 years and above regarding ageing and health services, and the factors that might improve the quality of primary care services for geriatric patients.
Setting: The study was conducted at three public health primary care facilities in KwaZulu-Natal province, South Africa: one in a rural setting, one in a peri-urban and one in an urban setting.
Methods: This qualitative study involved a purposive sample of 28 participants, aged 60 years and above. Four focus group discussions were conducted in either isiZulu or English, depending on the preference of the participants. Data were analysed thematically using an inductive approach.
Results: Nineteen of the 28 participants were women. Five key findings emerged from the study: (1) long waiting times – participants were distressed by lengthy waiting times, (2) illness-centred care – participants felt that they were seen as diseases to be treated, (3) lack of caring – health providers were perceived to lack compassion, (4) pill burden – participants experienced adverse effects of prescribed medication and (5) need for priority care – participants wanted a separate queue for the elderly.
Conclusion: Health systems and health professions educators should consider the need for patient-centred and integrated care for geriatric populations. Further research is required on the unmet needs of geriatric people in the community.
Keywords
Metrics
Total abstract views: 5447Total article views: 6710
Crossref Citations
1. Factors contributing to the quality of nursing care in Gauteng province hospitals
Nomali S. Sabelo, Sibusiso M. Zuma
Curationis vol: 48 issue: 1 year: 2025
doi: 10.4102/curationis.v48i1.2653
2. Medication use problems among older adults at a primary care: A narrative of literature review
Christina Christopher, Bhuvan KC, Sunil Shrestha, Ali Qais Blebil, Deepa Alex, Mohamed Izham Mohamed Ibrahim, Norhasimah Ismail
AGING MEDICINE vol: 5 issue: 2 first page: 126 year: 2022
doi: 10.1002/agm2.12203
3. Older adults’ experiences of health seeking in rural areas in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review of qualitative studies
Ziyue Wang, Xiaochen Ma, Can Su, Yihang Zhang, Xiang Zou, Mobolanle Balogun, Howard Bergman, Xiaoyun Liu, Nadia Sourial, Isabelle Vedel
Health Policy and Planning year: 2025
doi: 10.1093/heapol/czaf061
4. Knowledge, attitudes and beliefs toward polypharmacy among older people attending Family Medicine Clinic, Nairobi, Kenya
Maureen Kamau, Njeri Nyanja, Adelaide M. Lusambili, Jacob Shabani, Gulnaz Mohamoud
BMC Geriatrics vol: 24 issue: 1 year: 2024
doi: 10.1186/s12877-024-04697-9
5. Attributes of family physician encounters valued by older adults: a systematic review
Rebecca H. Correia, Darly Dash, Zain Pasat, Ryan P. Strum, Komal Aryal, Humayun Kabir, Maya Potter, Elaine Swayze, Pat Beaudoin, Pat Ward, Henry Yu-Hin Siu
BMC Primary Care vol: 26 issue: 1 year: 2025
doi: 10.1186/s12875-025-02794-1
6. Social accountability challenges and recommendations by community service rehabilitation therapists
Ntandoyenkosi L. Msomi, Andrew J. Ross
South African Family Practice vol: 66 issue: 1 year: 2024
doi: 10.4102/safp.v66i1.5936
7. Navigating the complexities of long-term care service delivery for older people in South Africa
Naomi Hlongwane
South African Journal of Science vol: 120 issue: 11/12 year: 2024
doi: 10.17159/sajs.2024/18721
8. Respect in the Eyes of Non-Urban Elders: Using Qualitative Interviews to Distinguish Community Elders’ Perspective of Respect in General and Healthcare Services
Yu-Hsien Tseng, Yu-Ling Li, Shyuemeng Luu, Dih-Ling Luh
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health vol: 19 issue: 4 first page: 2171 year: 2022
doi: 10.3390/ijerph19042171
9. Antimicrobial Prescribing Confidence and Knowledge Regarding Drug Resistance: Perception of Medical Students in Malaysia and the Implications
Mainul Haque, Tasim Ara, Md. Ahsanul Haq, Halyna Lugova, Siddhartha Dutta, Nandeeta Samad, Abdullahi Rabiu Abubakar, Sharifah Shasha Binti Syed Mohdhar, Md. Mahabubur Rahman, Salequl Islam, Nihad Adnan, Rahnuma Ahmad, Shahidah Leong Binti Abdullah, Mohd Hafizi Bin Ismail, Brian Godman
Antibiotics vol: 11 issue: 5 first page: 540 year: 2022
doi: 10.3390/antibiotics11050540
10. Quality of life among elderly in developing countries: issues and challenges
Nasim Ahamed Mondal
China Population and Development Studies vol: 5 issue: 4 first page: 363 year: 2021
doi: 10.1007/s42379-021-00099-1
11. O podcast como ferramenta para o ensino em saúde do idoso na graduação em Medicina
Marcia Helena Ribeiro de Oliveira, Milena Coelho Fernandes Caldato, Camille Cezanne Marins Carneiro
Revista Brasileira de Educação Médica vol: 48 issue: 3 year: 2024
doi: 10.1590/1981-5271v48.3-2023-0317
12. Living at the Margins or Elevated Citizenship? Challenges and Opportunities for Social Participation Experienced by Older Adults in Ghana
PAUL A. ISSAHAKU
Ageing International vol: 47 issue: 4 first page: 630 year: 2022
doi: 10.1007/s12126-021-09443-9
13. Leveraging HIV Care Infrastructures for Integrated Chronic Disease and Pandemic Management in Sub-Saharan Africa
Marie A. Brault, Sten H. Vermund, Muktar H. Aliyu, Saad B. Omer, Dave Clark, Donna Spiegelman
International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health vol: 18 issue: 20 first page: 10751 year: 2021
doi: 10.3390/ijerph182010751
14. Life-Course Trauma and Later Life Mental, Physical, and Cognitive Health in a Postapartheid South African Population: Findings From the HAALSI study
Collin F. Payne, Sumaya Mall, Lindsay Kobayashi, Kathy Kahn, Lisa Berkman
Journal of Aging and Health vol: 32 issue: 9 first page: 1244 year: 2020
doi: 10.1177/0898264320913450
15. Older Adults’ Expectations and Experiences With Health care Professionals in Ghana
Paul Alhassan Issahaku, Alhassan Sulemana
Sage Open vol: 11 issue: 3 year: 2021
doi: 10.1177/21582440211040125
16. The Good Old Days: how Older Adults in Present-Day Ghana Compare themselves to Older Adults in Past Generations
Paul A. Issahaku
Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology vol: 37 issue: 1 first page: 89 year: 2022
doi: 10.1007/s10823-021-09445-9
17. Exploring the perceptions and lived experiences of family members living with people diagnosed with COVID-19 in South Africa: a descriptive phenomenological study
Celenkosini Thembelenkosini Nxumalo, Lwandile Tokwe, Silingene Joyce Ngcobo, Nkululeko Phalson Gam, Gugu Gladness Mchunu, Lufuno Makhado
International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being vol: 18 issue: 1 year: 2023
doi: 10.1080/17482631.2023.2247622
18. The Social Organization of Quality of Life of Older People in Long-Term Care Facilities: An Institutional Ethnography Approach
Naomi Hlongwane, Lieketseng Ned
Global Qualitative Nursing Research vol: 12 year: 2025
doi: 10.1177/23333936251324267
19. Health Insurance Exemptions for Older Ghanaians: Stakeholder Perspectives on Challenges Confronting an Ambitious Policy
Dominic A. Alaazi, Tania Stafinski, Devidas Menon
Journal of Aging & Social Policy vol: 34 issue: 4 first page: 607 year: 2022
doi: 10.1080/08959420.2022.2046992
20. Estimating waiting times, patient flow, and waiting room occupancy density as part of tuberculosis infection prevention and control research in South African primary health care clinics
Aaron S. Karat, Nicky McCreesh, Kathy Baisley, Indira Govender, Idriss I. Kallon, Karina Kielmann, Hayley MacGregor, Anna Vassall, Tom A. Yates, Alison D. Grant, Reuben Kiggundu
PLOS Global Public Health vol: 2 issue: 7 first page: e0000684 year: 2022
doi: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0000684
21. Factors influencing primary health care service provision to older adults in lagos, nigeria: understanding the experiences of the demand population
AO Ogunyemi, MR Balogun, AE Ojo, SB Welch, DO Akeju, OO Onasanya, AT Omotayo, L. Shu-Ting, LR Hirschhorn
BMC Public Health vol: 25 issue: 1 year: 2025
doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-23965-w
22. Barriers and facilitators for strengthening primary health systems for person-centred multimorbid care in low-income and middle-income countries: a scoping review
David Zezai, André Janse van Rensburg, Gbotemi Bukola Babatunde, Tasneem Kathree, Ruth Cornick, Naomi Levitt, Lara R Fairall, Inge Petersen
BMJ Open vol: 14 issue: 11 first page: e087451 year: 2024
doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2024-087451
23. A ‘COMMON SENSE’ approach to geriatric patients in clinical practice
Lara S. Greenstein
South African Family Practice vol: 67 issue: 1 year: 2025
doi: 10.4102/safp.v67i1.6027