Older Persons Act, 2006
R 385
Older Persons Act, 2006 (Act No. 13 of 2006)Chapter 3 : Community-Based Care and Support Services for Older Persons11. Community-based programmes for older persons |
| (1) | The Minister may, in collaboration with any relevant Minister or Member of the Executive Council in a province— |
| (a) | develop community-based programmes that fall into two broad categories, namely— |
| (i) | prevention and promotion programmes, which ensure the independent living of an older person in the community in which the older person resides; and |
| (ii) | home-based care, which ensures that a frail older person receives maximum care within the community through a comprehensive range of integrated services. |
| (b) | determine how any person who runs a programme contemplated in paragraph (a) may be supported, either financially or otherwise. |
| (2) | The programmes contemplated in subsection (1) are programmes aimed at— |
| (a) | economic empowerment of older persons; |
| (b) | establishment of recreational opportunities for older persons; |
| (c) | information, education and counselling services, including HIV and AIDS, care for orphans, Alzheimer’s, dementia and basic emergency care; |
| (d) | spiritual, cultural, medical, civic and social services; |
| (e) | provision of nutritionally balanced meals to needy older persons; |
| (f) | promotion of skills and capacity of older persons to sustain their livelihoods; |
| (g) | professional services, including care and rehabilitation to ensure independent living of older persons; |
| (h) | appropriate services contained in the indigent policy for vulnerable and the utilisation and management of existing facilities for older persons as multi-purpose community centres; |
| (i) | integrated community care and development systems for older persons; and |
| (j) | qualifying older persons; |
| (k) | inter-generational programmes. |
| (3) | Home-based care programmes directed at frail older persons within the community may include— |
| (a) | provision of hygienic and physical care of older persons; |
| (b) | provision of professional and lay support for the care of older persons within the home; |
| (c) | rehabilitation programmes that include provision of assisted devices; |
| (d) | provision of respite care; |
| (e) | information, education and counselling for family members, caregivers and the community regarding ageing and associated conditions; and |
| (f) | provision of free health care to frail older persons and to other older persons determined by the Minister. |
