The potential value of a geographic information system for public service planning for older people in the African region

Abstract

People require access to specific health, care and social services in order to maintain their health, well-being and quality of life as they age. While there are government, non-governmental organisation (NGO) and private sector services and resources available to older persons in South Africa, there are significant inequalities in terms of access to these services. There is also limited community-level demographic, socioeconomic, health or service-availability data on older people, and the data that do exist are not necessarily centralised or easily accessible. This restricts policy development and planning around older persons’ needs. As South Africa develops policies and strategies in response to the United Nations Decade of Healthy Ageing (2021–30), a detailed understanding of the unmet needs among older people in various geographical areas is key for policymakers and service planners to understand what interventions are required to support an ageing population. Geographical information systems (GISs), which make it possible to spatially represent demographic, health, socio-economic, environmental or servicelocation data, are increasingly used in public health planning to understand disease prevalence, health risks and access to services within particular areas and population groups. While a GIS alone cannot provide a full account of older people’s complex health and social needs, it can be a valuable intervention to identify gaps in services and resources available to older people at the community level. It can also inform further research on the needs and status of older people by illustrating where data gaps exist. The Samson Institute for Ageing Research (SIFAR) has identified the value of creating a GIS that consolidates existing demographic and health data and resources