CARICOM CAPACITY DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMME (CCDP)

National Census Report 2001, St. Vincent and the GrenadinesTable 10.2: Total Elderly (Aged 65+) by Household Size and Sex, 2001Household TotalMaleFemaleSize Total % Total % Total %Total 7 753 100.00 3 402 100.00 4 351 100.00One 1 460 18.83 787 23.13 673 15.47Two 1 980 25.54 845 24.84 1 135 26.09Three 1 138 14.68 446 13.11 692 15.90Four 831 10.72 349 10.26 482 11.08Five 741 9.56 310 9.11 431 9.91Six 527 6.80 207 6.08 320 7.35Seven 393 5.07 172 5.06 221 5.08Eight+ 683 8.81 286 8.41 397 9.12These figures indicate the decline in the cultural practice of having the elderly parents living inthe same household as one of their children. Furthermore, the cultural practice of havinggrandparents caring for children, which could be evident in the larger households that have anelderly, seems to be on the decline.10.5 Type of Housing Tenure and Age of DwellingAlmost all of the elderly (92.93 per cent) owned the dwelling in which they lived and the rate ofownership was similar for males and females, (Table 10.3). These figures suggest that in almostall the cases where the elderly lived with two or more persons, that elderly were the owners, andnot the other household members. Even though they were living with others, they were not fullydependent since they had contributed towards the housing.Most (47.12 per cent) of the dwelling units in which the elderly lived in were built before the1970s, while 35.58 per cent were built in the 1970 to 1995 period. The remaining 17.31 per centof dwelling units were built after 1995, (Table 10.4).122