Survival Strategies Of The Elderly In Rural Ghana

ABSTRACT Globally, there is now a growing concern for the elderly. In the developing world especially, this concern has grown significantly due to increase in life span, the structural difficulties caused by globalization, rural-urban migration and the breakdown in the capacity of the extended family to perform its traditional roles. The net result is that in Ghana as in many developing countries, in the absence of government support, the elderly are compelled to fend for themselves. How the elderly in rural Ghana negotiate the means of livelihood is the focus of this study. The aim and objectives of the study are: To understand the dynamics of day-to-day life of the elderly in rural communities. To examine the challenges faced by the elderly in their day-to-day life To examine the causes of these challenges as well as factors affecting elderly survival To find out the survival strategies of the rural elderly in the face the challenges To find out how society (social networks) impacts on the survival challenges Examine the welfare implications of the problems of the elderly care in rural Ghana Given the orientation of the study, data was collected from 300 respondents in the three geographical zones of the country, namely central, forest and savannah. Both qualitative and quantitative data were collected using questionnaires, in-depth interviews and focus group discussions. Findings Key findings of the study included the following: One of the difficulties of the elderly was how to feed on daily basis. The chief cause being rural-urban migration of the youth, leaving the elderly in the rural areas without any meaningful support. Most elderly are widows and widowers.