Many old people in Ghana need daily care. How the government can help

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The world’s population is growing older – and that includes African countries, although they remain primarily youthful. Of all the countries in sub-Saharan Africa, Ghana has among the highest proportion of people over the age of 60, namely 7.2%.

This age group expanded from 200,000 to 1.6 million between 1960 and 2010 in Ghana. At the same time, the prevalence of health problems has grown. In a large-scale survey of Ghanaians over the age of 50, 33% reported hypertension, 14% arthritis, 7% diabetes, 6% a cardiovascular condition and 4.9% treatment for stroke.

Disability and frailty from unregulated diabetes, stroke or dementia require long-term, ongoing assistance with daily activities. So it’s likely that as Ghana’s population ages and chronic diseases become more common, there will be a greater need for long-term care.

The World Health Organisation estimated in 2015 that 50% of those aged 65-75 in Ghana required some assistance with their daily activities, as did 65% of those older than 75.

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