Lived Experiences of Elderly Persons Living Alone in Rural Areas of Botswana

Most of the developing countries are experiencing an increasing population of elderly persons aged 60 years. The main contributing factor to this is the increase in life expectancy, which has been experienced in recent times thanks to improvements in general health. A majority of these elderly persons reside in rural areas, with an increasing number of them residing alone in a household. Consequently, a majority of the elderly residing in rural areas face challenges impacting their lives. This paper reports the findings of a study that explored the lived experience of elderly persons living alone in rural areas of Botswana. The study used a case study research design and collected data from a sample of 12 elderly persons aged 60 years and above living alone, using in-depth interviews and observation. Data were analyzed manually following a qualitative data analysis procedure developed by Faherty (2010). Five key themes emerged to explain the lived experiences of elderly persons: (i) level of autonomy, (ii) multiple losses in life, (iii) attachment and belonging to a place, (iv) problems with basic necessities of life, and (v) dissatisfaction with living alone. These themes capture positive and negative situations experienced by elderly persons. Positively, living alone has given these elderly persons a certain level of autonomy in managing their lives. In contrast, most of them experienced distressing multiple losses structuring their lives. They receive inadequate social support from their family and community. Some of them lived in poor housing conditions, and they relied solely on old-age pensions for survival. The study concluded that elderly persons living alone in rural areas need integrated support services from family, community, government and non-governmental structures in order to live dignified lives. The introduction of an all-encompassing program of care and support involving all these key stakeholders is thus recommended.