Horizons Projects | Review of the Literature on HIV/AIDS and Provision of Home-based Care

HORIZONS PROJECT
Review of the Literature on HIV/AIDS and Provision of Home-based Care

Horizons and the International Center for Research on Women (ICRW) undertook a literature review to explore the specific issues that cluster around the provision of “care” in the context of the global HIV and AIDS pandemic. The resulting paper reviews the available literature addressing the domain of unlinked family care for HIV and AIDS and found that this caring work, undertaken primarily by women, is largely taken for granted by both governmental and nongovernmental efforts to mitigate the impact of the disease.

The review showed that although many community- and home-based care and social protection programs are in place, these programs need to more effectively integrate with each other and to purposively link up with the domain of family care.

Also highlighted is an important next step in the development of a more “linked-up” agenda: making clear distinctions between care that is provided through formal structures (e.g., clinical and nonclinical care provided in the home by volunteer lay providers) and care provided in the home that is not supported through formal programs (nonclinical care provided by family members, friends, and neighbors).

The review also identified a number of gaps in research on the nature of care for those living with HIV and AIDS, and perhaps most importantly on the impacts of “unlinked care” on individual caregivers and their households.

Location

Global

Duration

February 2003–December 2004

Horizons and Population Council researchers

Ellen Weiss

Non-Council collaborators

Monica Agarwal, Simel Esim, Caren Grown, Jessica Ogden (International Center for Research on Women)

Donor

US Agency for International Development

Publications/Resources
Horizons and Population Council researchers' names appear in boldface type.

2004
Ogden, Jessica, Simel Esim, and Caren Grown. "Expanding the care continuum for HIV/AIDS: Bringing carers into focus," Horizons Final Report. Washington, DC: Population Council and International Center for Research on Women. (PDF)