TITLE:
Evidence of Care of the Aged in Ghanaian Communities—A Scoping Review
AUTHORS:
Irene Korkoi Aboh, Akon Emmanuel Ndiok, Busisiwe Ncama
KEYWORDS:
Aged, Aged Care, Home Care, Ghana, Preparedness
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Aging Research,
Vol.8 No.3,
May
30,
2019
ABSTRACT: Sub-Saharan Africa population is increasing in age with little acknowledgement
on the consequences of the issues of ageing. Aim: To explore and describe
evidence in published literature on care given to the aged at home and how they
prepare for their ageing. Method: The study applied the Preferred
Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) framework for
systematic literature reviews using the population, intervention, comparison
and outcome (PICO) method to track the eligibility of research questions. This
method was the most appropriate for use in exploring the current position in
available literature for that of Ghana. The research was performed using five
electronic databases from January to July 2017 taking into consideration the
set inclusion and exclusion criteria. Only studies written in English were
considered and a total of 18 articles met the study criteria. Reviewers
extracted primary studies comprising quantitative, qualitative and critical
reviews. Result: The
literature review showed shortcomings in care for the aged at home. From the
search, six core themes were generated: neglect of aged care; aged care for the
younger generation; aged living arrangements; government neglect; preparedness;
and care of the aged in Ghana. Conclusion: This review offered
significant insight into care for the aged in their homes. The inclusive nature
of the rigorous approach used provided a good understanding of underlying
issues on the needs of the aged. Challenges for future are broadened in scope
for more research and effective awareness for interventional projects, services
on care given to the aged.