Equitable, sustainable and acceptable long-term care in Malawi? Unpacking the implied universalism of key terms in international ageing policy discourse

Indications of a care deficit for older adults in Africa and the need for long-term care that is acceptable for recipients and providers is well established, as are calls for its format to be ‘home-grown’. However, there is a discrepancy between the desire for evidenced African solutions, and the framing of both the problem and possible solutions derived from the Global North. This article draws on qualitative data from men and women needing and providing care in rural southern Malawi to challenge the implied universalism of the key terms of reference in the African long-term care discourse: ‘care’ and ‘family’.