The roles and capacities of social workers in the lives of older adults seeking healthcare and their caregivers in Ghana

Journal article


Awuviry-Newton, Kofi, Tavener, Meredith, Wales, Kylie and Byles, Julie E.. (2021). The roles and capacities of social workers in the lives of older adults seeking healthcare and their caregivers in Ghana. Health & Social Care in the Community. 29(4), pp. 877-888. https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.13121
AuthorsAwuviry-Newton, Kofi, Tavener, Meredith, Wales, Kylie and Byles, Julie E.
Abstract

As Ghana's older population increases in number and proportion, the social and healthcare needs of older adults and their caregivers become more critical highlighting the relevance of social workers’ contribution in assisting older adults and their caregivers. The purpose of this study was to explore social workers’ contributions, discussed against the International Federation of Social Workers (IFSW) Policy on Ageing and Older Person framework. The study employed a descriptive qualitative approach making use of semi-structured interviews to collect information from eight social workers at the Social Welfare Unit in Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Ghana. Themes and codes were developed from the interviews using thematic analysis, employing In-vivo and descriptive coding, and N-Vivo v12 as a management tool. Analysis of interviews revealed three interrelated themes; (a) “We provide it accordingly”: Talking about their contributions as systematic, (b) “I think we can do more”: Talking about their contributions as insufficient, and (c) “Our efforts are being hampered”: Complaints of inadequate resources for working with older adults and their caregivers. The study offers areas of opportunities for social workers per the IFSW policy framework to reflect and examine their current knowledge and skill to address the challenges population ageing presents in Ghana. While social workers contribute towards helping older adults seeking healthcare and their caregivers, their needs cannot be ignored. The findings draw attention to effective policies and programs that can provide social workers with the needed resources to be independent and be able to devise novel approaches unique to older adults and their caregivers.

Keywordscaregivers; descriptive qualitative; Ghana; health social work; healthcare; older adults
Year01 Jan 2021
JournalHealth & Social Care in the Community
Journal citation29 (4), pp. 877-888
PublisherWiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd. (UK)
ISSN0966-0410
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)https://doi.org/10.1111/hsc.13121
Web address (URL)https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/hsc.13121
Open accessPublished as non-open access
Research or scholarlyResearch
Page range877-888
Publisher's version
License
All rights reserved
File Access Level
Controlled
Output statusPublished
Publication dates
Online16 Aug 2024
Publication process dates
Accepted10 Jul 2020
Deposited01 Oct 2024
Grant IDAustralian Research Council Centre of Excellence in Population Ageing Research (project number CE170100005)
Additional information

© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd

Place of publicationUnited Kingdom
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