Home-based care in Botswana: experiences of older women and young girls

In this exploratory and descriptive study we investigated the experiences of and impact on young girls and older women caring for family members living with HIV/AIDS and other chronic and terminal illnesses at home in three districts of Botswana. Using qualitative research methods, we conducted 70 interviews with family caregivers and key informants such as community home-based care (CHBC) team members and government officials. Older women reported feeling overwhelmed with the magnitude and multiplicity of tasks they had to perform. They reported feeling exhausted, malnourished, depressed, and often neglectful of their own health. Young girls often missed school and they were sexually and physically abused, sexually exploited, and depressed. In addition, these caregivers experienced poverty, social isolation, stigma, psychological distress, and a lack of basic caregiving education. We made recommendations to improve services and care to the CHBC teams and to the national government.