Abstract

Ghana’s population is steadily ageing in tandem with global trends. Improved health care, reduced fertility and improvement in survival have placed Ghana’s older adult population among the highest in Sub-Saharan Africa. The estimated older adult population of 4.5% in 1960 increased to 6.7% in 2010 and is expected to reach 9.8% by 2050. This trend presents challenges to the care of older adults in Ghana. Studies have shown that the majority of the older adult population lived in rural settings, with fewer employment opportunities to earn adequate income. Literacy rate and educational status were generally low among older adults with few attaining higher education. Most people depended on the traditional extended family support systems where children and younger family members were expected to reciprocate the care received from their ageing parents and relatives.Globalization and industrialization have however led to a shift in the traditional social support system. Unemployment of young people in Ghana with consequent migration to urban areas in search of better jobs, the quest for higher education by young females who usually cared for their aged parents, and increasing work demands on the young are some factors contributing to increasing isolation of the aged. Older adults experience a higher prevalence of chronic diseases and are easily susceptible to infectious diseases. Abuse and stigmatization of older adults is a challenge in Ghana.Holistic care for the aged population in Ghana is largely rudimentary, but efforts are being made by both government and the private sector to address this challenge. Modest achievements in this direction include the formulation of the National Ageing Policy to oversee the total care of the older adult population, the National Health Insurance exemption policy for the aged and core poor, the emerging elderly home care industry, the Geriatric Medicine fellowship programme to build capacity for clinical care, and the Centre for Ageing Studies for academic and research capacity building.