Vulnerability Conditions of the Elderly and Care Practices in the case of Horro District, Horro Guduru Wallagga Zone Oromia, Ethiopia

Abstract

The objective of this study was to look at elderly vulnerabilities and care methods in the Horro District, Horro Guduru Wollega zone, Oromia, Ethiopia. A qualitative method was used in conjunction with an exploratory qualitative design to achieve the study's desired objectives. In-depth interviews, focus groups, key informant interviews, and secondary documents were used to gather data. Elderly men, women, and members of the community care coalition participated in in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Experts from the Labor and Social Affairs Office, leaders of the Iddirs, religious institutions, and the informal association were crucial informants. The data were examined using content and theme analysis, which involved analyzing and explaining the informants' words and phrases based on categories derived from the objectives. The information gathered from the informants was written down, collated, and described. The findings revealed that the elderly in the research area, particularly those who did not have a reciprocal connection with their families, had a difficult time obtaining resources to meet their basic needs. Begging and community care was their only sources of income. Furthermore, their living quarters and health circumstances were both poor. The elderly's social involvement in the community varies from person to person, and they must participate in some rural activities. Those vulnerable elderly who had independent offspring who could support them, on the other hand, had a better life. Furthermore, elderly who saved money throughout their working years and have their resources were in a pretty excellent financial position. As a result, the majority of the elderly were living in deplorable conditions, and formal social care schemes were not implemented in the rural, whereas social care practices from community Iddirs, churches, and informal associations were a good start, though they could not meet the basic needs of the elderly. However, there was a lack of integration among diverse stakeholders in the social care practice.Only a small proportion of elderly was covered by social services. The rest of the elderly were moaning and feeling left out. The study area's vulnerable elderly had mixed emotions about the social support they get. This study revealed both enhancing possibilities and impeding constraints that might impact the provision of social care for vulnerable elderly . Finally, recommend that the Regional Labor and Social Affairs Bearou should strengthen CBOs (community-based organizations, Iddirs), religious institutions, and informal associations by providing training to help them develop their skills, and they must work hard to raise community awareness to increase resource mobilization for the care of vulnerable elderly.