[ 2014-09-20 ]

Ghana’s elderly population increasing – Research
Accra, Sept. 19, GNA – Togbe Adom Drayi II, Head
of Organisation Department, Trade Union Congress
(TUC-Ghana) on Friday said Ghana as other
countries of the world is experiencing an increase
in the number of the elderly in society.

He said in 1984, the elderly constituted about
four per cent of the country’s population but in
2000 the percentage went up to 3.5 per cent.

Togbe Drayi II was speaking at a day’s workshop
to educate journalists on a research they
conducted on Elderly Care Arrangement in Ghana.

He said the trend showed that as a country “we
need to take issues of the elderly very seriously
and put in place implementable policies to address
the problems of the aged in our society”.

He said Ghana in 2010 adopted a policy on the aged
under the theme “roaming in dignity and in
security” but how to operationalise it still
remained a challenge.

“Since that time TUC (Ghana) and other
stakeholders have been calling on Government to do
something about the issue,” he added.

Togbe Drayi II said a TUC-Ghana funding from a
Denmark NGO has done a research on the topic and
the workshop is to scale up efforts to ensure that
government implements the policy.

Mr Prince Asafu Adjaye, Acting Director, Labour
Research and Policy Institute, TUC (Ghana),
presenting the research outcome, said the National
Ageing policy of Ghana stipulated that old age
starts at age 60 years.

He said in the last half century, the number of
older persons in Ghana has increased from 325,178
in 1960 to 1.53 million in 2012, representing
about 370 per cent increase in 52 years.

He said ageing population has significant social
and economic implications for the individual, the
family and society and stressed the need for all
to come on board to address the issues.

Mr Asafu-Adjaye said both the traditional and the
formal support systems for the elderly in Ghana
did not adequately respond to the needs of the
growing cohort of persons aged 60 years and
above.

He noted that currently, only a little above 229,
000 elderly people, out of the estimated 1.53
million older Ghanaians receive cash grants from
the Social Security and National Trust, Chapter 30
of the 1950 British Colonial Ordinances (Pension
Ordinance No. 42), popularly known as CAP 30 and
the Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP)
Programme.

“As many as over 1.3 million older Ghanaians are
not covered by any guarantee income schemes. These
older persons rely on the family and other
informal sources, which is increasing becoming
unavailable due to a number of economic and social
changes,” he added.

He said the research recommended an urgent need
for greater national attention to care for the
elderly in Ghana.

“Pragmatic actions need to be taken to prevent
more of our elderly from falling into destitution
and to ameliorate the situation of the greater
numbers who are already facing neglect.

He said government and family must take the lead
roles in the provision of care and support for
Ghana’s elderly while other stakeholders
support.

“Government of Ghana must without delay,
establish both the National Council on Ageing and
the Active Ageing Fund; emphasize geriatric care
in Ghana, to give special healthcare to the
elderly; promote adequate coordination of all
national schemes aimed at supporting the elderly.

The research also recommended the establishment of
a social pension scheme to provide at least some
income for all older persons in Ghana.

Mr Raynolds O. Tenkorang, Acting General Secretary
of Health Services Workers Union, called for good
policies and pensions in Ghana to cater adequately
for the aged.

Source - GNA

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