Attitudes and perceptions of young community members towards older persons: its influence on the welfare of the elderly in a rural village in South Africa
Attitudes and perceptions of young community members towards older persons: its influence on the welfare of the elderly in a rural village in South Africa

Summary/Abstract: The perpetual negative attitudes and perceptions of the young community members towards the older persons signal a gradual degeneration and polarization of the expected mutually harmonious relationships. This state of affairs has negatively influenced the socioeconomic and bio-psychosocial welfare of the older persons. This paper provides scant social work literature on the attitudes and perceptions of young community members towards older persons in Ramatlabama Village in the North West Province of South Africa and how these impacts on their acquisition needed welfare resources. Adopting a qualitative convenient-purposive sampling, the study engaged twenty participants who consisted of ten young and ten older persons from Ramatlabama Village. The data was analysed qualitatively and the findings of the study showed that young people’s attitudes towards and perceptions of older people were negative especially when the elderly were of the female gender denoting also patriarchal attitudes. This negative attitudinal and perceptual position jeopardises the welfare of the older persons and acquisition of the resources needed for optimal living. The conclusion reached was that the older persons are prone to negative attitudes and perceptions in the village which lessens their ability to acquire welfare resources for meeting their daily needs. Relevant recommendations have been made to facilitate social work interventions with older persons in rural communities.

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