Culture, caregiving, and the frail elderly on malo, vanuatu.

This paper addresses the indigenous meaning of old age and frailty on Malo Island (Natamambo), Vanuatu, (the South Pacific). While local meanings are of course germane to the sense of personhood, they have also been affected by cultural, demographic and social change that has occurred in recent decades. The paper presents discussion of the effects of these changes on old age and aging. Finally, the paper examines family caregiving by middle-aged adults for frail elders, in the context of social change. It is clear that the ideology of caregiving is under negotiation at the present time.