ABSTRACT

The study explored the issue of ageing and chronic diseases by looking at the types of chronic diseases, contributing factors, challenges and coping strategies of the elderly. The elderly are among the groups most vulnerable to chronic disease worldwide. The prevalence and associated risk factors for these chronic diseases have been observed to have increased over time in Ghana, including Akim Oda. The views and opinions of 19 elderly persons between the ages of 60 and 90 years receiving treatment from Akim Oda Government Hospital were solicited with four key informants. Data was collected through in-depth interview and analysed following Attride-Stirling’s (2001) thematic analysis using NVivo 11. Four main types of chronic diseases identified in the study were hypertension, diabetes, stroke and AIDS. According to study participants’ understanding, chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension and stroke are caused by excessive alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, and emotional, psychological or stress-related trauma. The findings further revealed that challenges encountered by the elderly living with chronic diseases include high cost of health care. Other challenges include social challenges such as loss of vision, limited mobility, sexual weakness and inability to shoulder responsibility. The findings also revealed challenges such as neglect by family members and delay in reporting to hospital. This study concludes that the elderly in Akim Oda employ the use of the media (listening to preaching, watching children programmes), change in lifestyle behaviour (adhering to prescribed medication and food), and drawing on faith and the support of spouses, siblings and children as strategies to cope with the biographical disruptions they experience. This study concludes that there are different biographical disruption experiences among the elderly in Akim Oda and the precise impacts of these experiences on the lives of the elderly influences the kind of strategies they adopt to manage their health, social and economic conditions. Social workers are to encourage individuals to save during their youthful years and to maintain healthy family ties.

   Introduction

CHAPTER ONE BACKGROUND OF THE STUDY

Population ageing is a well-recognized global phenomenon (Bowling, 2007). The section of the population aged 60 and over is growing faster than any other age set in the world, and the ageing of the population remains both a success and a challenge for public health (World Health Organization, 2002). It is projected that by 2025 there will be about 1.2 billion people over 60 years of age. By 2050 they will reach 2 billion, of which 80% are in developing countries, including Ghana (WHO, 2002). The United Nations (2003) also reports that the number of people aged 60 and over has grown significantly in recent years in most countries and regions, and that the increase in elderly population will accelerate in  the coming decades.

The population aged 60 and over increased from 200 million in 1950 to 600 million in 2000; in 2006, the number of elderly persons exceeded 700 million, and current projections suggest that, in 2050, there will be 2 billion elderly people alive. In other words, their number will triple in 50 years (Mba, 2003). According to the National Institute of Ageing (NIA) in 2007, in 2006, nearly 500 million people in the world were 65 years of age or older. By 2030, it is expected that this total will increase to 1 in 8 people on the planet. Significantly, the fastest increases in the population aged 65 and over occur in developing countries, including Ghana, which will see a 100% increase by 2030.

In sub-Saharan Africa, the estimated elderly population (60 years and over) will exceed 10% of the total population by 2050. The number of elderly aged 60 and above in Africa is expected to surge by more than 63% by 2030 (United Nations, 2002). The ageing of the African population is expected to increase rapidly between 2010 and 2030, as more and more people turn 65, and projections show that elderly could represent 4.5% of the population by 2030 and almost 10% of the population by 2050 (Nabalamba et al., 2009). This

increase in the ageing of the population will have a profound impact on labor markets, health, aggregate demand, politics and social structures. Nabalamba et al. (2009) reported that in 1980, 3.1% of the African population was 65 years of age and older and had increased steadily over the last forty years. According to the same report, as of 2010, 36 million elderly persons were 65 years and above, accounting for 3.6% of the population—an increase of 3.3% in ten years.