Older People In Ghana Research Articles

Studying Older People in Ghana: Closing Reflections

This reflection discusses six contributions to a special issue on the care and well-being of older people in Ghana. Special attention is given to reciprocity as a key to successful aging, to the complementarity of quantitative and qualitative research, to gender, to performance in the ethnographic encounter, to the social relevance of these studies, and to the problem of access to literature.

Self-reported cataracts in older adults in Ghana: sociodemographic and health related factors.

BackgroundChanges in function of sensory organs with increasing age have significant impact on health and wellbeing of older persons. This paper describes cataract, a chronic eye condition, self-reported among older adults in Ghana and the need for improving access to eye care services.MethodsThis work was based on the World Health Organization’s multi-country Study on global AGEing and adult health (SAGE), conducted in six countries including Ghana. SAGE Wave 1 in Ghana was conducted in 2007–2008 in a nationally representative sample of 4278 older adults, ≥ 50 years. Data were obtained on sociodemographic and health factors related to self-reported cataracts in older persons in Ghana. Data were analysed using descriptive measures (frequencies and proportions), chi-square test for associations in categorical outcome measures, and logistic regression for predictors of cataracts with SPSS version 21.ResultsOverall prevalence of self-reported cataracts among 4278 older adults in Ghana was 5.4%. Prevalence was proportionately higher for women (5.9%) than men (4.7%). Reported cataracts increased with age, among urban residents, in older adults living without partners and among those with the worse life satisfaction index. Older adults in lower income groups, poorly educated or living alone had difficulty seeking vision care services. Prevalence was 8.4% among persons with diabetes, 10.4% among hypertensives and 11.4% in persons with previous history of stroke. Among older persons who had ever used alcohol or tobacco, prevalence rates of reported cataracts were 5.7% and 4.9%, respectively. Logistic regression analysis indicated that increasing age, lower income status and self-reported hypertension were significantly associated with cataract among older adults in Ghana.ConclusionsCataract is prevalent in older people in Ghana with approximately 1 in 20 people aged 50 years or older reporting a previous diagnosis of cataract. As cataract surgery is restorative, a public health approach on behavioural modification, well structured national outreach eye care services (for rural residents), inclusion of basic eye health services at sub-district levels, increased family support and national health insurance for older persons is indicated.

Exploring the Expectation and Perception of Socio-Economic Needs of the Elderly in Ghana: An Empirical Analysis

Elderly care, or aged care, is the fulfilment of the special needs and requirements that are unique to senior citizens. Because of the wide variety of elderly care found globally, as well as differentiating cultural perspectives on elderly citizens, cannot to be limited to any one practice. Our study evaluates the socio-economic situation of older people in Ghana, as they move into their retirement year. It analyses a comprehensive range of variables that capture the economic status of the elderly, including income, poverty rates, food consumption, housing consumption, nutrition measures, household production, and leisure. Further the study focuses on providing a solid assessment of the economic status of elderly people using comprehensive measures. It also specifically addresses questions regarding the social program participation decisions of the elderly and how public transfers impact their welfare. Following proposal for further studies in existing literature, this study explore the expectations and perception of socio-economic care needs of the elderly in Ghana using Kano’s service quality model as a tool to determine the expectations gap in the current services available for the elderly in Ghana. The study concludes that social welfare has typically had a low priority and the contribution of the family to welfare has largely been neglected. As a consequence, policy-making on how better to harness the energies and resources of the family and the community to resolve the social needs of individuals and groups has barely commenced. Traditional domestic arrangements had intergenerational support built into them; modern arrangements are in the process of destroying this key social welfare feature. Recognizing that this is the case raises the question of how to design intergenerational support back into mainstream social relations so that the elderly are not marginalized and put at risk by the urbanization process.

Decline in material family support for older people in urban Ghana, Africa: understanding processes and causes of change.

Material family support for older people in Ghana, as in other African countries, has declined in recent decades, exposing increasing numbers especially of urban elderly to destitution and poverty. The nature and causes of this decline remain poorly understood, in particular the relative role of growing material constraints, as proposed by political economy perspectives, or weakening traditional values, as suggested by modernization perspectives. This article develops an interpretively grounded understanding of the processes underpinning the decline specifically in Accra, Ghana's capital. A qualitative investigation of the perspectives of a three-generational respondent sample, spanning major income, ethnic, and gender groups, was conducted. The decline has been underpinned by two major shifts: (a) a declining resource capacity of the young to provide support and (b) a shift in the basis of filial support toward an increasing dependence on parents' past conduct and the principle of reciprocity. Normative expectations emphasizing self-reliance in old age are emerging as a result of the decline. The shifts have been caused by a complex interaction between growing resource constraints and changing values not captured by existing accounts. The dominant factor driving the change in support norms and patterns has been the change in families' material circumstances.

Rita K. Chow, EdD, RNC, HNC, FAAN: a life in the light.

This study sought to examine whether and how social connectedness impacts the association between physical activity and loneliness among older people in Ghana. Data for the analysis were obtained from the 2016–2017 Aging, Health, Psychological Wellbeing and Health-seeking Behavior Study (AgeHeaPsyWel-HeaSeeB) (N = 1200; mean age 66±12 years; women = 63%). Loneliness was assessed with the Short Form Revised UCLA Loneliness Scale. Multivariate linear regressions showed that increases in physical activity were associated with decreases in loneliness in the overall sample (β= −0.338, p < 0.005) and for men (β= −0.712, p < 0.005) but not in women (β = −0.039, p = 0.840). The negative association between physical activity and loneliness was moderated by social connectedness such that persons highly connected were much less likely to experience loneliness following physical activity engagement (β= −0.709, p = 0.023). Age-based analysis showed differential effects of physical activity on loneliness among the 65+ group (β = −0.437, p = 0.002) compared to the 50–64 group (β= −0.502, p = 0.031). Later life social connectedness tempers with the beneficial impact of physical activity on loneliness. Interventions to heal loneliness and for active aging should target physical activity and interpersonal engagements among older adults.