PhD Thesis
The elderly play vital roles in everyday life in many societies. They are, for example,
acknowledged sources of information. Since ancient times, the elderly were custodians of
customs and traditions, advisers, mediators and child caretakers. Despite this
indispensable cultural contribution and their participation in national development
activities, their access to Social Protection Services (SPSs) does not match the benefits in
return from Social Institutions (Sis) to sustain their livelihood. Therefore, provision of
adequate SPSs from the Sis to the elderly through protective, preventive, promotive and
transformative interventions is believed to be a crucial strategy for tackling the existing
problem of SPSs inaccessibility among the elderly. However, information on the nature of
Sis and whether SPSs interventions have any influence on the elderly’s welfare in
response to their basic needs in Tanzania is scantily discussed. The study on which this
thesis is based was conducted in Moshi Municipality and Moshi District Council in
Kilimanjaro Region, Tanzania to address that knowledge gap. The study specifically: (i)
examined types of social institutions and SPSs provided to the elderly in the study area;
(ii) analysed the determinants of the elderly’s access to SPSs; (iii) examined coping
strategies used by the elderly during social insecurity; and (iv) analysed the potential of
the National Ageing Policy (NAP) in facilitating SPSs for the elderly. A cross-section
research design was adopted, involving 202 elderly who were 60 years old and above.
Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected. Qualitative data were collected
through Focus Group Discussions (FGDs) and Key Informants Interviews (KIIs).
Quantitative data were collected by using a structured questionnaire. Content analysis
approach was used to analyze qualitative data while quantitative data were analysed using
Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). Descriptive statistics were computed to
establish the profiles of research participants; a Likert scale was used to measure theiii
attitude of the elderly towards receiving SPS; a Coping Strategy Index (CSI) was
constructed to determine the levels of the elderly’s CSI. Ordinal logistic regression
models were used to determine factors influencing the elderly’s CSI against social
insecurity. The findings of the study show that the Government (Department of Social
Welfare, Tanzania Social Action Fund), Non-Governmental agencies (CBOs, FBOs) and
the family were the main Sis providing SPSs to the elderly, being led by the family. With
respect to levels of SPSs accessibility, results showed that the elderly were categorised in
moderate level of accessing SPSs; and largely accessing SPSs through protective
measures compared to promotive, preventive and transformative dimensions. Ordinal
logistic regression analysis revealed the predictors of elderly’s SPSs accessibility to be:
residence, health insurance, awareness of policy, rights and financial assistance (p < 0.05)
and literacy status (p
0.1). Although majority of the elderly (45.3%) was found in the
moderate level of applying coping strategies, the CSI level variation portray social
insecurities among the elderly. The place of residence; remittance and annual income
were also important predictors of the elderly’s CSI (p < 0.05) with stronger influence on
the elderly’s SPSs accessibility. Furthermore, the NAP is not backed up by any respective
law to enforce its implementations. It is therefore concluded that, SPSs from the Sis are
inadequately provided. Coping strategies applied by the elderly though necessary to
address their social insecurities, they are not permanent substitutes to SPSs from Sis. The
absence of law and enforcement mechanism for SPSs providers has also broadened the
existing gap of SPSs inaccessibility among the elderly. Therefore, it is recommended that
the Ministry responsible for the elderly issues should revisit and coordinate services
delivery programmes of the Sis in order to design and implement appropriate SPSs
interventions that address SPSs inaccessibility among the elderly. The Parliament should
enact the SPSs elderly law(s) to enforce the implementation of NAP in order to provide
adequate SPSs to the elderly and improve their welfare.