Department of Geography and Planning, Queen's University, Kingston, ON K7L 3N6, Canada.
Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Feb 27;18(5):2337. doi: 10.3390/ijerph18052337.
While existing research acknowledges copious challenges faced by older adults (people aged 60 and over) in Ghana and most countries in sub-Saharan Africa, they fail to situate the lived experiences of this vulnerable group within the broader context of health geography and public health. This paper draws insights from ecological systems theory and the "geographies of older people" literature to examine the lived experiences of older people in Ghana. Data for the study were gathered using interviews (42) and sharing circles (10). Our findings reveal a complex mix of experiences consistent with the different levels of the environment. Dominant themes include access to social support, functional impairment and poor health status, social status, poor access to water and sanitation services, food insecurity, economic insecurity, and caregiving burden. These findings support the wide-held notion that the experiences of older people are complex and produced by the interplay of both individual and structural factors. Our findings demonstrate that sociocultural, economic, political, and climatic factors are important consideration in promoting elderly wellbeing and quality of life in Ghana.
虽然现有研究承认加纳和撒哈拉以南非洲大多数国家的老年人（60 岁及以上人群）面临着大量挑战，但这些研究未能将这一弱势群体的生活经历置于健康地理学和公共卫生的更广泛背景下。本文借鉴生态系统理论和“老年人地理学”文献，考察了加纳老年人的生活经历。本研究的数据通过访谈（42 次）和分享圈（10 次）收集。我们的研究结果揭示了与环境不同层次一致的复杂经历。主要主题包括获得社会支持、功能障碍和健康状况不佳、社会地位、获得水和卫生服务的机会有限、粮食不安全、经济不安全和照顾负担。这些研究结果证实了一个广泛存在的观点，即老年人的经历是复杂的，是由个人和结构因素的相互作用产生的。我们的研究结果表明，社会文化、经济、政治和气候因素是促进加纳老年人福祉和生活质量的重要考虑因素。
