Caring for older adults in Ghana : the experiences of primary caregivers in the Winneba township

Little research has explored the experiences of caregivers of older adults in Africa, particularly in Ghana. However, globally, providing care for older adults is very important across all cultures. By this, it is evident that many families are increasingly being affected by the need to offer care to older adults due to the strains involved in carrying these responsibilities (Andersen & Taylor, 2001). In Winneba Township in Ghana, caring for older adults has become an obstacle and stressful to caregivers. Due to this, older adult caregivers face a double jeopardy: while they provide supportive care to their declining loved one, they too often suffer multiple chronic conditions and decline. This has motivated the researcher to; explore the relationship that exists between the primary caregivers and older adults in the Winneba Township; examine the kind of support primary caregivers’ offer to the older adults; explore the challenges caregivers face in their quest to offer support to the older adults and examine the coping strategies adopted by primary caregivers in providing quality care to the older adults in the Winneba Township. Methods: A descriptive qualitative approach with Phenomenological design employing one-on-one interview and observation guides will be used to collect data from eligible 20 caregivers in Winneba in southern Ghana. Employing Thematic Analysis (TA) with NVivo (12), in a descriptive first cycle and focused second cycle coding will be employed to analyse the data.