Ageing And Chronic Diseases In Ghana: The Case Of Akim Oda

ABSTRACT The study explored the issue of ageing and chronic diseases by looking at the types of chronic diseases, contributing factors, challenges and coping strategies of the elderly. The elderly are among the groups most vulnerable to chronic disease worldwide. The prevalence and associated risk factors for these chronic diseases have been observed to have increased over time in Ghana, including Akim Oda. The views and opinions of 19 elderly persons between the ages of 60 and 90 years receiving treatment from Akim Oda Government Hospital were solicited with four key informants. Data was collected through in-depth interview and analysed following Attride-Stirling’s (2001) thematic analysis using NVivo 11. Four main types of chronic diseases identified in the study were hypertension, diabetes, stroke and AIDS. According to study participants’ understanding, chronic diseases like diabetes, hypertension and stroke are caused by excessive alcohol consumption, physical inactivity, and emotional, psychological or stress-related trauma. The findings further revealed that challenges encountered by the elderly living with chronic diseases include high cost of health care. Other challenges include social challenges such as loss of vision, limited mobility, sexual weakness and inability to shoulder responsibility. The findings also revealed challenges such as neglect by family members and delay in reporting to hospital. This study concludes that the elderly in Akim Oda employ the use of the media (listening to preaching, watching children programmes), change in lifestyle behaviour (adhering to prescribed medication and food), and drawing on faith and the support of spouses, siblings and children as strategies to cope with the biographical disruptions they experience. This study concludes that there are different biographical disruption experiences among the elderly in Akim Oda and the precise impacts of these experiences on the lives of the elderly influences the kind of strategies they adopt to manage their health, social and economic conditions. Social workers are to encourage individuals to save during their youthful years and to maintain healthy family ties.