Providing long-term care is a challenge to states around the world. In rich countries, supporting frail and disabled adults is a major budget item, and even then, the care provided can be inadequate.

The population profiles of poorer countries are beginning to change, with the number of old people increasing. But the response of many African governments has been to bury their heads in the sand.

Take the case of Ghana. It is one of the countries with a higher percentage of older adults on the continent, but it’s failed to pass any meaningful legislation to reflect this. A policy was drafted in 2003 and updated in 2010. But Parliament has never passed it. Even this policy does not envision what long-term care might look like. Instead, it puts the responsibility for care of chronic conditions on families.

Yet families in Ghana are struggling to manage the long-term care of their ageing and frail relatives. Those with access to remittances and members of the elite are turning to commercial care services, including home care agencies and a few nursing homes in urban areas. Like commercial care services around the world, they are luxury services which cater exclusively to the wealthy. Read More.

By Cati Coe, Rutgers University. | Source: The Conversation. | Image Source: Nathan Miller, USAID, https://pixnio.com/people/female-women/older-women-from-africa-portrait-close-up-face