Are we doing enough for the elderly?

Ghanaians are living in very hard times. Economic hardships caused by low incomes, general unemployment, depreciating currency, high birth rate, rural-urban migration and many more have had a negative toll on families, thereby limiting the ability of such families to take good care of the elderly.

Before independence and well into the 1970s, Ghanaians were proud to belong to an extended family system which supported its members from infancy to old age. In current times, the plight of elderly women and men, especially in deprived rural areas, can be described as “deplorable”.

The ageing population

When Ghana attained independence in 1957, its population aged 60 years and above was estimated at 6,726.  This figure was about 0.1 per cent  of the population at the time. By the year 2010, the same population aged 60 years and above had reached nearly 1.5 million, representing six per cent  of the total population.

 This age group is expected to grow to nearly 2.5 million by the year 2025. The vast majority of these retired women and men worked in the informal sector as traders, farmers, fishermen, labourers, tailors, seamstresses, musical artistes and  artisans and earned meagre incomes. As they grew weaker and weaker through old age and other factors, these elderly women and men were taken care of by their working children, grandchildren, nephews, nieces or other not-so-close relatives as the case may be.

The formal sector

In the formal sector, we have women and men who have worked as civil servants, nurses, bankers, lawyers, teachers, artisans, priests, scientists, lecturers and many others. Prior to the 1960s, only senior officers in the Civil Service were provided with income security upon retirement. However, since July 1965, income security for the aged has been assured for all categories of workers. From 1965 to 1990, Ghana practised the Provident Fund Scheme which was converted into a Pension Scheme in 1991. Under the Provident Fund scheme, a one-off payment was given to each member.

The Pension Scheme (SSNIT)

In Ghana, all workers who contribute to the Social Security and National Investment Trust (SSNIT) Pension Scheme receive monthly payments once they have retired and satisfied the minimum requirements. Statistics indicate that currently, SSNIT, which manages pensions for Ghanaian workers, has a total of 168,455 pensioners on its pension payroll and about 13,000 pensioners are added to the payroll annually. This number is about a tenth of the total population aged over 60. How are the other 90 per cent  catered for?

Reality versus the aged

 The bitter truth in Ghana is that only about a tenth of the elderly aged 60 and above receive regular national support to live. The effect of such a situation is what we observe in several communities.  Generally, the elderly are poor, hungry, sick and usually of nobody’s concern. The economic support which, traditionally many Ghanaians have relied upon through the extended family system, is no longer available because of youth unemployment, rural-urban migration, modernisation, education, globalisation and other factors.

Way Forward

Considering the fact that nobody is born old in any society, it behoves us as Ghanaians to institute measures that will make elderly people live more comfortably and age more gracefully. If this is done, the younger generation would grow and eventually enjoy the very benefits and privileges they might have helped to create. Young people will also not be frightened by the natural cycle of growing old, let alone be tempted to falsify their ages in order to delay retirement.

The Government of Ghana must pass legislation that will make the senior citizens pay less for electricity and water. Pensioners travelling on government-owned buses must be made to pay half rates. Also, since health care is too expensive for the elderly to access, the government can raise the insurance premium paid by pensioners so that they can access full health care from all corners of the country.

Role of NGOs

To enable elderly women and men regain their self-confidence and feel less dependent on charity, we must build Senior Citizens Centres for them. Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs) can help tremendously in such areas. These senior citizens centres will serve as recreational centres where the elderly would meet to socialise and also plan activities to mentor the youth in the communities. In addition, senior citizens centres would serve as clinics for volunteers who would want to offer free health screening services for the elderly.

Shared responsibility

Naturally, we would expect government to finance most of the programmes for the elderly through appropriate taxation, but in practice, this is too difficult to achieve. Therefore, families should be educated and encouraged to take better care of their members and maintain strong social ties. Such education should come from the Ministry of Social Welfare and Community Development and other related agencies.

Special role of churches

It is significant that over 70 per cent of Ghanaians belong to churches. In fact, there are churches in every nook and cranny of the country. Even in one suburb, one would count several of such churches. What these religious organisations have done to improve education and social cohesion is known to everyone. I want to recommend one more step for churches to take; they should set up community day-care facilities instead of the residential homes that we find in some advanced countries. If managed properly, these day-care facilities will receive elderly women and men during the day for a fee. Services would include a good meal, recreation, fellowship and occasional film shows or health talks. In the evening, these elderly friends would return home to continue their roles as heads of families and community elders.

SSNIT

The SSNIT authorities should intensify their education so that all workers in the informal sector would join the SSNIT pension scheme and contribute towards a better future. Managers of the scheme should endeavour to engage in high-yielding investments so as to create greater wealth for pensioners.

Taking better care of the elderly women and men in Ghana requires the contribution of communities, churches, NGOs, civil society groups and families. Of course, the primary responsibility is that of government. This can be noticed in all civilised societies. We must all take action now.

The writer is the Chairman of the Onua Pa Foundation, an NGO which advocates better care for elderly persons in communities.