Many old people in Ghana need daily care. How the government can help
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%. CATI COE, Professor of Anthropology, Rutgers University 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…