Overview

• The 60-plus population in sub-Saharan Africa has grown about 50% in 15 years to roughly 67 million, with WHO projecting 163 million by 2050.
• NGOs such as Reach One Touch One Ministries report long waitlists and limited reach, with rising costs forcing cutbacks to basics like food deliveries.
• Dementia cases are increasing with little diagnosis or support, and caregivers sometimes confine relatives for lack of alternatives.
• Only about two in ten people of retirement age in sub-Saharan Africa receive a pension, and in Uganda roughly four in ten older people live in extreme poverty with a small SAGE payment beginning at 80.
• Aid reductions and uneven government follow-through have closed or scaled back programs, deepening gaps in health care, caregiving and disaster response for older adults.