Abstract:
In recent years, the issue of the elderly particularly in Ghana has become a major concern since the
number of aged population is increasing in societies which are least prepared for the challenges
that often characterise the aged. As a result, caring for the elderly has become a burden to family
members especially, caregivers. Due to this, most elderly persons are left alone to fend for
themselves. Some also depend on the assistance of voluntary caregivers for survival. These
among others necessitated the need for a study to be conducted into the incidence of elderly
neglect in Winneba. The study sought to examine the challenges the neglected elderly face in
Winneba, examine the causes of elderly neglect and to find out how the neglected elderly cope
with life in Winneba. A qualitative research approach with phenomenological design was
employed for the study. The study used the purposive sampling technique to select a sample size
of eighteen participants which comprised twelve elderly persons aged 65 years and above and six
caregivers who provided care to these elderly in Winneba. The researcher adopted unstructured
or one- on- one interview and focus group discussion as instruments for gathering data. In this
study, the data was read and reread which helped in the interpretation and description of
emerging themes and patterns. The study revealed that, most of the neglected elderly in Winneba
lived in the uncompleted buildings and unhygienic accommodations. Most of them have not
been to school before and thus affected their employment opportunities and income levels as
they grow old. The neglected elderly received most of their support from voluntary caregivers.
Some of them continued resort to begging and others engage in labour intensive occupation such
as fetching of firewood in order to make ends meet. It was recommended that there should be a
separate ministry created by the government solely to address the myriad challenges faced by the
elderly in Ghana. Government should also create a fund that is “Aged Fund” to support the aged,
who are vulnerable to neglect. This dream could be realized by deducting certain percentage of
the District Assemblies’ Common Fund (DACF) into that fund. If possible, there should be a
policy to establish social centers in each district in Ghana by the government with support from
other interest groups such as HelpAge Ghana to address the challenges the elderly face.
Description:
A THESIS IN THE DEPARTMENT OF SOCIAL STUDIES EDUCATION,
FACULTY OF SOCIAL SCIENCE, SUBMITTED TO THE SCHOOL OF
GRADUATE STUDIES, UNIVERSITY OF EDUCATION, WINNEBA, IN
PARTIAL FULFILMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE AWARD OF A
MASTER OF PHILOSOPHY (SOCIAL STUDIES) DEGREE
JULY, 2017