This book explores health and care of the older population in Africa, focusing on policy and programmatic responses, gaps and future challenges related to health and care across the continent. The first part of the book sets the scene for the volume, profiling the demographic and health situation of the elderly in Africa. It also provides an overview of the various models of care in Africa, looking in particular at the family care model, which constitutes the main source of support for the elderly in Africa. Part 2 provides case studies from across the continent to explore varying forms of elder care as well as the health challenges facing the elderly in the different contexts. The final part considers key aspects related to older person’s experience of social pensions, which are widely recognised as a potentially powerful strategy of meeting the needs of older persons.. Identifying lessons regarding African-centric models of care, as well as reflections on the structural and policy challenges that are likely to confront countries across the continent as they strive to meet the specific needs of increasingly ageing populations, this book will be of interest to scholars of health and social care of the elderly.

Population aging is a matter of global concern. It often occurs in tandem with changes in the health profile of the population. In Africa, many countries are already facing a high burden of communicable diseases. However, as more and more children survive childhood and move on to adult years and old age they are also more likely to experience health problems associated with the aging process. Population aging in Africa is occurring in the context of high levels of poverty, changing family structures, an immense disease burden, fragile health systems and weak or poorly managed government institutions. This book shows that aging is likely to lead to increased social and economic demands for the continent. However, most national governments in Africa have not begun to address the issue of how to respond effectively to the needs of the older population. This will require a better understanding of the socio-economic and demographic situation of the older population in Africa. This book fills the gaps that exist by exploring the social realities of population aging in Africa. It also focuses on the policy and programmatic responses, gaps and future challenges related to aging across the continent.

In this book, Rev. Dr. Samuel Ayete-Nyampong has revealed his passion for the good quality of life for the ageing population in Africa and the development of Pastoral Gerontology courses in Theological Institutions across Africa. This book is a resource material for building the capacity of church leaders in the provision of care and support for the ageing population in Africa. All who read this book will find it inspiring, full of deep thoughts, and a challenge to the church and state, thereby provoking sensitivity to the needs of the ageing population in Africa. This book is highly recommended for church leaders, theological students, students of Gerontology and to all who have a passion to promote the quality of life of the ageing population.

Adequate healthcare access not only requires the availability of comprehensive healthcare facilities but also affordability and knowledge of the availability of these services. As an extended responsibility, healthcare providers can create mechanisms to facilitate subjective decision-making in accessing the right kind of healthcare services as well various options to support financial needs to bear healthcare-related expenses while seeking health and fulfilling the healthcare needs of the population. This volume brings together experiences and opinions from global leaders to develop affordable, sustainable, and uniformly available options to access healthcare services.

Support the very best health, well-being, and quality of life for older adults! Here’s the ideal resource for rehabilitation professionals who are working with or preparing to work with older adults! You’ll find descriptions of the normal aging process, discussions of how health and social factors can impede your clients’ ability to participate in regular activities, and step-by-step guidance on how to develop strategies for maximizing their well-being.

Awarded a 2012 AJN Book of the Year Award! Why focus on the negative aspects of growing old while most older adults are leading positive, fulfilling, and active lives even while dealing with the changes associated with aging and chronic illnesses? Promote healthy aging; learn what it means to age successfully; and develop the tools and resources that can optimize well-being during the later years in life with the guidance you'll find inside. The author, a nationally recognized expert in the field of gerontology addresses the physical, psychosocial, and spiritual needs of older adults based on a holistic, mid-range nursing theory of successful aging. Contributions from healthcare professionals in exercise physiology, nutrition, pharmacy and elder law help you understand how these disciplines work together to benefit patients.

Aging is an irreversible natural process; we as humans develop many age-related disadvantages impacting many aspects of our life. Aging is not a negative process, but the ever-increasing band of the aging population creates a different socioeconomic and healthcare cost-associated risk that may hinder the sustainable development goals of any country and the world in general. Thus, the primary purpose of this book is to cover all aspects of the aging population. Each chapter in this book will give its readers a comprehensive understanding of how an aging population affects public programs such as pension plans, social welfare aids, healthcare costs, asset loss, and labor income, including chapters focusing on the demographic distribution of age-related diseases and injuries that increase healthcare cost, current social psychological reforms, and scientific research work adopted continent wise towards sustaining the aging population. Therefore, this book is helpful for students, teachers, and practitioners studying/working in the broad areas of social sciences, economics, and scientific research advancements in aging. This book serves as a bridge toward planning and developing new policies and practices.

In sub-Saharan Africa, older people make up a relatively small fraction of the total population and are supported primarily by family and other kinship networks. They have traditionally been viewed as repositories of information and wisdom, and are critical pillars of the community but as the HIV/AIDS pandemic destroys family systems, the elderly increasingly have to deal with the loss of their own support while absorbing the additional responsibilities of caring for their orphaned grandchildren. Aging in Sub-Saharan Africa explores ways to promote U.S. research interests and to augment the sub-Saharan governments' capacity to address the many challenges posed by population aging. Five major themes are explored in the book such as the need for a basic definition of "older person," the need for national governments to invest more in basic research and the coordination of data collection across countries, and the need for improved dialogue between local researchers and policy makers. This book makes three major recommendations: 1) the development of a research agenda 2) enhancing research opportunity and implementation and 3) the translation of research findings.

Contemporary Healthcare Issues in Sub-Saharan Africa: Social, Economic, and Cultural Perspectives discusses contemporary healthcare issues in Sub-Saharan Africa to identify deficiencies in the system and provide workable recommendations for strengthening healthcare delivery on the continent. Contributors address topical issues such as drug quality, malaria control, health insurance, geriatric care, and the environment-health nexus. The contributors also study intimate partner violence and maternal-child health, food safety, prevalence of childhood tuberculosis, and cardiovascular diseases. This book provides in-depth analyses of current issues in Sub-Saharan Africa that blend theory and practice. The diverse group of contributors includes experts in clinical medicine, pharmacy, economics, anthropology, public health, and the social sciences.

Written to be highly readable, this book is intended to be practical, broad in scope, and accessible to a wide range of disciplines and readers with various levels of knowledge of psychiatry. Rather than be just a reference manual, this book uses a novel problem-based format which allows readers to understand symptoms and solutions in context rather than as isolated incidents of human behavior. To maintain currency, the book also includes new material on ethics and the philosophy of psychiatry.