Authors : F. Akosua Agyemang; Efua Esaaba Mantey Agyire-Tettey; Jude Delasi Gbogblogbe; Victus Gyambiby; Abena Oforiwaa Ampomah

Volume/Issue : Volume 10 - 2025, Issue 5 - May

Google Scholar : https://tinyurl.com/4b2btkh4

DOI : https://doi.org/10.38124/ijisrt/25may1139

Note : A published paper may take 4-5 working days from the publication date to appear in PlumX Metrics, Semantic Scholar, and ResearchGate.

Abstract : Ghana faces a demographic paradox: a rapidly ageing population, projected to reach nearly 10% by 2050, collides with systemic unpreparedness to address the intersecting vulnerabilities of ageing and disability. Through a narrative review of literature anchored in the lived experience of Alima, a 68-year-old grandmother with arthritis and post-stroke disability, this paper examines the “double burden” of health decline and socio-economic precarity exacerbated by fragmented policies and cultural dissonance. Findings reveal stark regional disparities; mobility impairments are notably more prevalent in poorer northern regions than in urban areas. Environmental factors, such as coastal flooding and entrenched social norms in patrilineal northern communities further isolate elders with disabilities. Cultural ideals that emphasize family reciprocity stand in sharp contrast to policy inaction. National health schemes often omit rehabilitative care, and public investment in older adult health remains marginal. Women, especially in rural areas, experience intensified caregiving burdens and economic strain, while widowed urban women face increased health risks. To avert a looming public health and social care crisis affecting millions of older adults by mid-century, this paper proposes actionable reforms: expanding national health coverage to include geriatric services, institutionalizing gerontology training, and prioritizing rural community-based rehabilitation. Aligning these strategies with international development goals on health and equality is vital to transforming cultural respect for elders into concrete, rights-based support systems.

Keywords : Ageing, Disability, Ghana, Socioeconomic Vulnerability.

References :

1. United Nations, World Population Ageing 2017: Highlights. New York: Department of Economic and Social Affairs, United Nations, 2017.
2. A. Naami and A. A. Mills, “Ageing with a disability: Care arrangements and support needs in contemporary Ghana,” Afr. J. Ageing Stud., vol. 1, no. 1, 2023.
3. World Health Organization, World Report on Disability. 2011. [Online]. Available: http://www.who.int/disabilities/world_report/2011/report.pdf
4. United Nations, The World Population Prospects: 2015 Revision. 2015. [Online]. Available: https://www.un.org/en/development/desa/publications/worldpopulation-prospects-2015-revision.html
5. Ghana Statistical Service, 2021 Population and Housing Census. Accra, Ghana, 2021. [Online]. Available: https://census2021.statsghana.gov.gh/index.php
6. M. W. Agyekum, G. F. Afrifa-Anane, and F. Kyei-Arthur, “Prevalence and correlates of disability in older adults, Ghana: Evidence from the Ghana 2021 Population and Housing Census,” BMC Geriatr., vol. 24, p. 52, 2024.
7. African Union, Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities in Africa. 2018. [Online]. Available: https://au.int/sites/default/files/treaties/36440-treaty-protocol_to_the_achpr_on_the_rights_of_persons_with_disabilities_in_africa_e.pdf
8. E. Iarskaia‐Smirnova, “Disability,” Blackwell Encycl. Sociol., pp. 1–3, 2007.
9. M. Retief and R. Letšosa, “Models of disability: A brief overview,” HTS Teol. Stud., vol. 74, no. 1, 2018.
10. G. Henderson and W. V. Bryan, Psychosocial Aspects of Disability. Springfield, IL: Charles C Thomas, 2004.
11. African Union, Protocol to the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights on the Rights of Older Persons. 2016. [Online]. Available: https://au.int/sites/default/files/treaties/36438-treaty-0051_-_protocol_on_the_rights_of_older_persons_e.pdf
12. S. Amarya, K. Singh, and M. Sabharwal, “Ageing process and physiological changes,” Gerontol., vol. 32, pp. 137–144, 2018.
13. J. R. Aunan, M. M. Watson, H. R. Hagland, and K. Søreide, “Molecular and biological hallmarks of ageing,” J. Br. Surg., vol. 103, no. 2, pp. e29–e46, 2016.
14. P. Jayanthi, E. Joshua, and K. Ranganathan, “Ageing and its implications,” J. Oral Maxillofac. Pathol., vol. 14, no. 2, pp. 48–51, 2010.
15. A. Salinas-Rodríguez, A. Rivera-Almaraz, A. Scott, and B. Manrique-Espinoza, “Severe levels of disability among older adults in low- and middle-income countries: Results from the Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health (SAGE),” Front. Med., vol. 7, p. 562963, 2020.
16. K. A. Darkwah, S. Iddi, J. Nonvignon, and M. Aikins, “Characterization of functional disability among older adults in Ghana: A multilevel analysis of the Study on Global Ageing and Adult Health (SAGE) Wave II,” Afr. J. Ageing Stud., vol. 1, no. 1, pp. 1–15, 2022.
17. K. Awuviry-Newton, M. Tavener, K. Wales, and J. Byles, “Interpretative phenomenological analysis of the lived experiences of older adults regarding their functional activities in Ghana,” J. Prim. Care Community Health, vol. 11, p. 2150132720931110, 2020.
18. P. M. Amegbor, V. Z. Kuuire, H. Robertson, and O. A. Kuffuor, “Predictors of basic self-care and intermediate self-care functional disabilities among older adults in Ghana,” Arch. Gerontol. Geriatr., vol. 77, pp. 81–88, 2018.
19. G. O. Boateng, E. A. Adams, M. Odei Boateng, I. N. Luginaah, and M. M. Taabazuing, “Obesity and the burden of health risks among the elderly in Ghana: A population study,” PLOS ONE, vol. 12, no. 11, p. e0186947, 2017.
20. M. F. Borchelt and E. Steinhagen‐Thiessen, “Physical performance and sensory functions as determinants of independence in activities of daily living in the old and the very old,” Ann. N. Y. Acad. Sci., vol. 673, no. 1, pp. 350–351, 1992.
21. D. A. Gold, “An examination of instrumental activities of daily living assessment in older adults and mild cognitive impairment,” Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology, vol. 34, no. 1, pp. 11-34, 2012.
22. F. K. Barlow and N. A. Walker, “Disability and aging,” in Encyclopedia of Geropsychology, 2017. doi:10.1007/978-981-287-082-7_81
23. C. J. Mba, “The health condition of older women in Ghana: a case study of Accra City,” Journal of International Women’s Studies, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 171-184, 2013.
24. M. D. Takele, G. A. Eriku, D. M. Merawie, F. S. Zinabu, M. Fentanew, G. J. Belay, and A. K. Kibret, “Functional disability and its associated factors among community-dweller older adults living in Gondar Town, Ethiopia: a community-based cross-sectional study,” BMC Public Health, vol. 24, p. 647, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-024-18110-y
25. World Health Organization, “Ghana country assessment report on ageing and health,” World Health Organization, Switzerland, 2014. https://apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/126341/1/9789241507332eng.pdf
26. P. Y. A. Attafuah, I. Everink, A. A. Abuosi, C. Lohrmann, and J. M. Schols, “Quality of life of older adults and associated factors in Ghanaian urban slums: a cross-sectional study,” BMJ Open, vol. 12, no. 2, p. e057264, 2022.
27. S. D. Burns, L. E. Best, and S. Amoatey, “Exploring the intersectionality of place and gender among older adults in Ghana: an examination of women’s disability disadvantage,” Innovation in Aging, vol. 8, no. 4, p. igad134, 2023.
28. R. Sage, B. Ward, A. Myers, and C. Ravesloot, “Transitory and enduring disability among urban and rural people,” The Journal of Rural Health, vol. 35, no. 4, pp. 460–470, 2019.
29. C. Mock, E. Boland, F. Acheampong, and S. Adjei, “Long-term injury related disability in Ghana,” Disability and Rehabilitation, vol. 25, no. 13, pp. 732–741, 2003.
30. D. A. Dovie, “Articulation of the shallow inclusion and deep exclusion of older adults from the Ghanaian policy terrain,” Studia z Polityki Publicznej, vol. 26, no. 2, pp. 59–85, 2020.
31. S. Alidu, E. Dankyi, and A. Tsiboe-Darko, “Aging policies in Ghana: a review of the livelihood empowerment against poverty and the National Health Insurance Scheme,” Ghana Studies, vol. 19, no. 1, pp. 154–172, 2016.
32. E. Frimpong, A. A. Gyimah, and M. Adjei, “We’re campaign objects: a qualitative livelihood analysis of the visually impaired older adult in rural Ghana,” Innovation in Aging, vol. 8, no. Suppl. 1, p. 827, 2024.
33. E. M. Abalo, C. M. Mensah, W. Agyemang-Duah, P. Peprah, H. I. Budu, R. M. Gyasi, and J. Amoako, “Geographical differences in perceived health status among older adults in Ghana: do gender and educational status matter?,” Gerontology and Geriatric Medicine, vol. 4, p. 2333721418796663, 2018. https://doi.org/10.1177/2333721418796663
34. J. A. Braimah and M. W. Rosenberg, “They do not care about us anymore: understanding the situation of older people in Ghana,” International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, vol. 18, no. 5, p. 2337, 2021. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph18052337
35. R. M. Gyasi, F. Asante, J. Y. Yeboah, K. Abass, C. M. Mensah, and L. P. Siaw, “Pulled in or pushed out? Understanding the complexities of health beliefs and motivations for traditional medicine utilisation in Ghana,” Quality in Primary Care, vol. 23, no. 4, pp. 211–221, 2015.
36. R. M. Gyasi, F. Asante, K. Abass, J. Y. Yeboah, S. Adu-Gyamfi, and P. A. Amoah, “Do health beliefs explain traditional medical therapies utilisation? Evidence from Ghana,” Cogent Social Sciences, vol. 2, no. 1, p. 1209995, 2016.
37. N. Agyeman, M. Guerchet, S. Nyame, C. Tawiah, S. Owusu-Agyei, M. J. Prince, and R. Mayston, “When someone becomes old then every part of the body too becomes old: experiences of living with dementia in Kintampo, rural Ghana,” Transcultural Psychiatry, vol. 56, no. 5, pp. 895–917, 2019.
38. W. Agyemang-Duah, A. Abdullah, C. M. Mensah, F. Arthur-Holmes, and B. Addai, “Caring for older persons in rural and urban communities: perspectives of Ghanaian informal caregivers on their coping mechanisms,” Journal of Public Health, vol. 28, pp. 729–736, 2020.
39. J. Okine and N. Ruggiano, “Burden among informal caregivers of older adults in Ghana: a scoping review,” Innovation in Aging, vol. 8, no. Suppl. 1, p. 762, 2024.
40. S. Nortey, G. Aryeetey, M. Aikins, D. Amendah, and J. Nonvignon, “Economic burden of family caregiving for the elderly population in southern Ghana: the case of a peri-urban district,” International Journal for Equity in Health, vol. 16, no. 1, 2017. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-016-0511-9
41. G. D. Ashirifi, G. Karikari, and M. E. Adamek, “Prioritizing the national aging policy in Ghana: critical next steps,” Journal of Aging & Social Policy, 2021. https://doi.org/10.1080/08959420.2021.1927621
42. A. Teshome, D. Adeniji, G. Ashirifi, and M. Adamek, “Intergenerational equity: an urgent call for aging policies in Sub-Saharan Africa,” Innovation in Aging, vol. 8, no. Suppl. 1, p. 987, 2024.
43. E. Osae-Oppong, “Regional policy scan: policies to address aging in Sub-Saharan Africa,” Innovation in Aging, vol. 8, no. Suppl. 1, p. 859, 2024.
44. D. A. Dovie, “The status of older adult care in contemporary Ghana: a profile of some emerging issues,” Frontiers in Sociology, vol. 4, p. 25, 2019.
45. United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and HelpAge International, Ageing in the twenty-first century: a celebration and a challenge. United Nations Population Fund, 2012.
46. C. Debpuur, P. Welaga, G. Wak, and A. Hodgson, “Self-reported health and functional limitations among older people in the Kassena-Nankana District, Ghana,” Global Health Action, vol. 3, no. 1, 2010. https://doi.org/10.3402/gha.v3i0.2151
47. B. Nantomah, “Perceived quality of life of the aged with disability in selected districts in the Upper West Region of Ghana,” Doctoral dissertation, University of Cape Coast, 2019.
48. Y. Luo, B. Su, and X. Zheng, “Trends and challenges for population and health during population aging - China, 2015-2050,” China CDC Weekly, vol. 3, no. 28, pp. 593–598, 2021. https://doi.org/10.46234/ccdcw2021.15
49. A. Steptoe, A. Shankar, P. Demakakos, and C. de Oliveira, “Social isolation, loneliness, and all-cause mortality in older men and women,” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, vol. 110, no. 15, pp. 5797–5801, 2013