Poverty and wellbeing among older people in Nairobi slum settlements

Levels of poverty and wellbeing among older people in poor, urban settings in Africa have been under-researched, yet absolute numbers of older people are set to increase in this continent in the coming decades. The urban experience of wellbeing for older people is relatively unknown as research tends to focus on older people residing in rural places. This study addresses this research gap and investigates patterns of poverty and wellbeing among older people in two slum settlements in Nairobi. The study uses data collected by the African Population and Health Research Centre. Livelihood information for households in a demographic surveillance system operating in two Nairobi slums is combined with data from a survey on the social, health and overall wellbeing of older people. Absolute expenditure poverty and expenditure quintiles are calculated to build a money-metric poverty profile of the older people. Sensitivity analyses of the poverty estimates are also calculated to explore different assumptions of equivalence scales. A multidimensional conceptual framework then measures how older people’s wellbeing varies across a range of different dimensions. Two-thirds (66%) of older people in the two slum settlements are living in absolute material poverty. Within the slums there are also significant differences in absolute poverty among older people. Wellbeing is found to vary greatly within dimensions and across them; overall, there are disadvantages for women and the oldest old in terms of poverty and wellbeing. Formal support mechanisms are limited with few older people receiving a pension. Conversely, informal reciprocal familial support patterns are strong with many older people giving support to other members of their family. Levels of absolute poverty are high, suggesting that policies should be targeted here to reduce poverty. The different dimensions of wellbeing also indicate that non-monetary policy interventions should be considered.