An Investigation on the Church’s Impact on Elderly care in Ghana in the Context of Increasing Poverty and Political Polarisation

Eric Oduro Wiafe ORCID iD

Issue: Vol.9 No.10 October 2023 Issue  Article 5  pp. 524 – 537
DOI : https://doi.org/10.38159/erats.20239105 |   Published online 27th October, 2023.
© 2023 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Views: 466
261 Downloads

DOWNLOAD PDF

Social problems in society, such as the care of the aged, hinder people’s full potential and often arise from societal neglect. In Ghana, a significant percentage of the elderly population requires assistance with daily activities, but poverty and political polarization can hamper their care. The church has played a crucial role in addressing social problems, including the neglect, poverty, and poor health faced by the elderly. However, the church’s ability to intervene is limited, and traditional beliefs often stigmatize the elderly as witches or wizards. The healthcare sector also faces challenges in providing care for the elderly, with high costs and low coverage of health insurance. The study thus emphasized the importance of understanding the difficulties experienced by the elderly through theories such as Disengagement Theory and Convoy Theory. The study employed interviews to gather data from a sample of 12 individuals who were directly involved in caring for the elderly or had knowledge of their issues. The data analysis focused on the lived experiences of the interviewees. The weak social system, including pension systems and health insurance schemes, were found to be contributors to the struggles faced by the elderly. The elderly face challenges such as frailty, illness, poverty, and neglect. The study suggests that policymakers should review existing health insurance policies to better support the elderly. The church’s role in promoting a more inclusive and supportive society for the elderly is crucial, but it faces challenges in the changing cultural landscape and the dominance of the nuclear family system.

Keywords: Old Age, Poverty, Political Polarization, Political System, Democracy and Ghana.

Aboh, I K, and B P Ncama. “Critical Review of the Plight of the Ghanaian Aged.” IOSR Journal of Nursing and Health Science 6, no. 2 (2017): 1–4.

Abrokwah, Stephen O, Christine M Moser, and Edward C Norton. “The Effect of Social Health Insurance on Prenatal Care: The Case of Ghana.” International Journal of Health Care Finance and Economics 14 (2014): 385–406.

Adjei, P. O. W. “Bad Leadership: What It Is and Why It Is Relevant.” International Journal of Business and Management 12, no. 7 (2017): 59–65.

Agyei-Mensah, S. “Aging and Health Inequalities in Ghana: Exploring the Interaction between Educational Attainment, Ethnicity, and Religion.” Journal of Aging and Health 28, no. 5 (2016): 824–54.

Agyemang, K., and F. Owusu-Ansah. “Elderly Care in Ghana: Challenges and Prospects.” Journal of Aging Research and Healthcare 2, no. 3 (2020): 87–95.

Ameyaw, E. K, R. E. Kofinti, and G. O. Boateng. “The Impact of Cash Transfer Programme (LEAP) on Elderly Poverty and Vulnerability in the Kassena-Nankana District of Ghana.” Journal of Aging and Social Policy  31, no. 1 (2019): 44–61.

Amoako, P. “Challenges of Population Ageing in Ghana: A Case Study of Policy implementation in the Wa Municipality.” European Journal of Research and Reflection in Management Sciences 1, no. 4 (2013): 62–82.

Amporfu, E. “Rehabilitation of Elderly Disabled in Ghana: Implications for the Elderly Care Policy.” Journal of Aging Research, 2013.

Aning, K, and E. N. Sowatey. “Informal Institutions, Corruption and Political Stability in Ghana: The Role of the Political Elite and Religious Organisations.” African Journal of Governance and Development  5, no. 1 (2016): 92–121.

Antonucci, Toni C, Rebecca Fuhrer, and James S Jackson. “Social Support and Reciprocity: A Cross-Ethnic and Cross-National Perspective.” Journal of Social and Personal Relationships 7, no. 4 (1990): 519–30.

Asante, F. A, and K. Asenso-Okyere. “Social Protection in Ghana: Sustaining Gains Made towards Achieving MDG 1.” Social Policy and Administration  47, no. 3 (2013): 302–32.

Assimeng, M. “Presuppositions in the Study of African Social and Political Thought.” Research Review 2, no. 2 (1986): 167–200.

Attride-Stirling, Jennifer. “Thematic Networks: An Analytic Tool for Qualitative Research.” Qualitative Research 1, no. 3 (2001): 385–405.

Bluhm, Dustin J, Wendy Harman, Thomas W Lee, and Terence R Mitchell. “Qualitative Research in Management: A Decade of Progress.” Journal of Management Studies 48, no. 8 (2011): 1866–91.

Boafo-Arthur, Susan, and Ama Boafo-Arthur. “Help Seeking Behaviors of International Students.” In Psychology and Mental Health, 1368–86. IGI Global, 2016. https://doi.org/10.4018/978-1-5225-0159-6.ch059.

Cumming, E., W.E. Henry, and D.S. Newell. “Socialstructural Evidence for Disengagement.” In Growing Old: The Process of Disengagement, 37–74, 1967.

Danescu, Elena. “Varieties of Democracy (V-DEM) Annual Report 2019-” Democracy Facing Global Challenges”.” V-Dem Institute, the Department of Political Science at the University of …, 2019.

Denzin, N. K., and Yvonne S. Lincoln. “Introduction: The Discipline and Practice of Qualitative Research.” In The Sage Handbook of Qualitative Research, 1–32. Sage Publications Ltd., 2005.

Donabedian, A. “The Lichfield Lecture. Quality Assurance in Health Care: Consumers’ Role.” Quality and Safety in Health Care 1, no. 4 (December 1, 1992): 247–51. https://doi.org/10.1136/qshc.1.4.247.

Doz, Yves. “Qualitative Research for International Business.” Journal of International Business Studies 42 (2011): 582–90.

Dsane, S. “Care of the Elderly: A Case Study of Grandmothers and Childless Elderly Women in Teshie, Accra.” Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana., 2009.

Geest, Sjaak Van der. “Money and Respect: The Changing Value of Old Age in Rural Ghana.” Africa 67, no. 4 (1997): 534–59.

Gioia, Dennis A, Kevin G Corley, and Aimee L Hamilton. “Seeking Qualitative Rigor in Inductive Research: Notes on the Gioia Methodology.” Organizational Research Methods 16, no. 1 (2013): 15–31.

Glicken, Morley D. Social Work in the 21st Century: An Introduction to Social Welfare, Social Issues, and the Profession. Sage, 2010.

Graebner, Melissa E, Jeffrey A Martin, and Philip T Roundy. “Qualitative Data: Cooking without a Recipe.” Strategic Organization 10, no. 3 (2012): 276–84.

Gyasi, R. M, D. R. Phillips, and L. Boateng. “Challenges of Independent Ageing among Older Migrants in Ghana: The Role of Children and the Church.” Ageing and Society 39, no. 1 (2019): 26–51.

Hanifan, L.J. “The Rural School Community Centre.” Annals of the American Academy of Political and Social Sciences 67 (1916): 130–38.

Kahn, Robert L., and Toni C. Antonucci. “Convoys Over the Life Course: Attachment,    Roles, and Social Support.” In Life-Span Development and Behavior, 1980.

Kpessa-Whyte, Michael. “Aging and Demographic Transition in Ghana: State of the Elderly and Emerging Issues.” The Gerontologist 58, no. 3 (2018): 403–8.

Kpessa-Whyte, Michael, and Kafui Tsekpo. “Lived Experiences of the Elderly in Ghana: Analysis of Ageing Policies and Options for Reform.” Journal of Cross-Cultural Gerontology 35 (2020): 341–52.

Kvale, Steinar. “The Qualitative Research Interview: A Phenomenological and a Hermeneutical Mode of Understanding.” Journal of Phenomenological Psychology 14, no. 2 (1983): 171.

Lachman, Margie E, Salom Teshale, and Stefan Agrigoroaei. “Midlife as a Pivotal Period in the Life Course: Balancing Growth and Decline at the Crossroads of Youth and Old Age.” International Journal of Behavioral Development 39, no. 1 (2015): 20–31.

Lam, Gigi. “The Road Ahead: Should Hong Kong Develop Five Pillars of Old Age Protection?” Asian Education and Development Studies 12, no. 1 (2023): 113–25.

Manen, Max Van. Phenomenology of Practice: Meaning-Giving Methods in Phenomenological Research and Writing. Taylor & Francis, 2023.

Marshall, Victor W, and Philippa J Clarke. “Agency and Social Structure in Aging and Life-Course Research.” International Handbook of Social Gerontology, 2010, 294–305.

Minh, Nguyen Huu, and Phan Thi Mai Huong. “The Care of Older Adults in the Vietnamese Family and Related Issues.” In Aging and the Family: Understanding Changes in Structural and Relationship Dynamics, 39–61. Emerald Publishing Limited, 2021.

Moustakas, Clark. Phenomenological Research Methods. Sage publications, 1994.

Neergaard, Helle, and John P Ulhøi. Handbook of Qualitative Research Methods in Entrepreneurship. Edward Elgar Publishing, 2007.

Ninsin, K.A. and F.K. Drah, eds., The search for democracy in Ghana: A case study of political instability in Africa. Asempa Publishers, 1987.

____, Ghana’s transition to constitutional rule. University of Ghana, Department of political science, 1991.

Obiri-Yeboah, D.A. “The Social Life of the Elderly in the Anum Traditional Area.” Institute of African Studies, 1991.

Ocansey, M. E, and D. A. Amporfo. “Government Cash Transfer Programme and Poverty Reduction among the Elderly in the Ga West Municipal Assembly, Ghana.” Ageing International  43, no. 1 (2018): 24–41.

OECD. “Netherlands 2016: Foundations for the Future.” In Reviews of National Policies for Education. Paris: OECD, 2016.

Ofei-Aboagye, R. O. “The Elderly and Old Age Support in Rural Ghana: The Case of Akuapim North District.” Journal of Aging Research, 2014.

Pobee, J.S. Religion and Politics in Ghana. Christian Council of Ghana Asempa Publication, 1991.

Reken, Calvin P Van. “The Church’s Role in Social Justice.” Calvin Theological Journal 34, no. 1 (1999): 198–202.

Sanuade, Olutobi A, and Sandra Boatemaa. “Caregiver Profiles and Determinants of Caregiving Burden in Ghana.” Public Health 129, no. 7 (2015): 941–47.

Watson, G., and D.W. Johnson. Social Psychology: Issues and Insights. Philadelphia: Lippincott, 1972.

Wethington, Elaine. “Expecting Stress: Americans and the ‘Midlife Crisis.’” Motivation and Emotion 24 (2000): 85–103.

Yirenkyi, Kwasi. “The Role of Christian Churches in National Politics: Reflections from Laity and Clergy in Ghana.” Sociology of Religion 61, no. 3 (2000): 325–38.

Rev. Dr. Eric Oduro Wiafe is currently a Senior Lecturer and the acting President of the Catholic Institute of Business and Technology, Accra Ghana. He holds a Masters in Catholic Leadership, MPhil in Religion and PhD in Pastoral Theology. His research focuses on Pastoral Theological Issues, Church and societal issues and Inter-religious dialogue.

Wiafe, Eric Oduro. “An Investigation on the Church’s Impact on Elderly Care in Ghana in the Context of Increasing Poverty and Political Polarisation, “ E-Journal of Religious and Theological Studies, 9 no.10 (2023): 524 – 537. https://doi.org/10.38159/erats.20239105

© 2023 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).

Articles in this Issue

About Journal