Towards the Care of the Aged in Ghana: The Case of Asante Akyem Agogo
Seth Oteng Ofori 
Issue: Vol.3 No.10 October 2022 Article 3 pp. 447-458
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20223103 | Published online 7th October 2022.
© 2022 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
In Ghana persons above 65 years are designated in the category of the aged or elderly. Aged care in the 21st century has received increased awareness and is getting intensified as the rate of life expectancy also increases. The underlying factor is the growing concern to seek the total well-being of these aged in the various indigenous Ghanaian communities. This, therefore, precipitated an enquiry into the activities of Agogo Presbyterian hospital, the churches in Agogo and the government Social Welfare Department in Agogo all located in the Asante Akim North Municipal of the Ashanti Region of Ghana. Through focus group discussions among the aged, and an interview exercise conducted with the caregivers (the ministers, healthcare professionals and a social worker), the care of the aged was discussed. The aim of this was to unravel the sort of care given to these vulnerable persons in the Agogo community. Thematically, the results obtained were given the necessary interpretation and are further discussed as feedback from the aged. The study findings revealed that the aged most of the time are drifted to spirituality/church due to imminent death, protection for their children, and the fear of being bewitched. The Church keeps attracting the aged to its worship and provides their mandated spiritual care with intermittent social interventions. The Social Welfare Department was also constrained by financial, logistical, and institutional challenges. The Agogo Presbyterian Hospital balances its care of patients with spiritual care but is not well integrated and not specifically tailored towards the care of the aged. The study concluded that an enhanced care plan is hereby encouraged for these stakeholders to help the aged not just to live longer but also better. It recommended the establishment of geriatric/gerontological schools for the training of nurses and other allied staff for the care of the aged in Ghana. This has become necessary due to the rising level of the aged population in the country. This article seeks to add to the scanty existing literature on caring for people with special needs in Ghana.
Keywords: The Aged, Gerontology, Spirituality, Social and Clinical Care
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Rev.Seth Oteng Ofori is a Medical Laboratory Scientist at Agogo Presbyterian Hospital and an ordained Minister of the Gospel in the Presbyterian Church of Ghana. He holds a Master of Philosophy in Religious Studies from Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, a Master of Divinity from Trinity Theological Seminary, Accra and a Bachelor of Science in Laboratory Technology from the University of Cape Coast. He has also completed a certificate course in Health Administration and Management from GIMPA. His interest is in researching the nexus between health and religion and its potential impact on the care of the aged.
Ofori, S.O. “Towards the Care of the Aged in Ghana: The Case of Asante Akyem Agogo,” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 3, no.10 (2022):447-458. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.20223103
© 2022 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Publishers. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
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