1st. International Seminar on ageing in Ghana ends in Accra
The conference in session.
The First International Seminar on Ageing in Ghana ended in Accra with a call for a national concerted effort to address the drastic deterioration in the care of the aged in Ghana.
The seminar was organised by the Akrowa Aged-Life Foundation in partnership with the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Employment & Social Welfare, Health Concern Ghana and the Pentecost Hospital. The one day seminar was addressed by the Minister of Health whose speech was read on his behalf by Dr. I. Appiah Denkyira. He called for a new approach to eldercare and mentioned his ministry’s preparedness to support any effort in that direction.
Peter Kvist Jørgensen deliveres his presentation at the seminar.
In an overview of the work of the Akrowa Aged-Life Foundation, Richard Larry Tetteh, the National Coordinator cited urbanisation and collapse of our social foundation as responsible for the woes of the aged in Ghana. He spoke of chilling, vivid and graphical instances of abandonment, battery, isolation, poverty, stigmatization from false accusation for witchcraft, death and blatant human right abuses suffered by the aged in modern day Ghanaian society. He called for fairer and more aged-friendly national policies that would make ageing a gracious, passionate and welcome life experience.
Other contributors include Peter Kvist Jorgensen of F.O.A in Copenhagen, Denmark who delved into formation and management of Aged Forum, It relevance to the Aged in Ghana.
Danish delegation meets with social & welfare minister Hon: E.T Mensah.
Mr. Niels Christian F. Vestergaard of Social & Healthcare College, Aarhus Denmark, spoke on Development of Eldercare and Eldercare Today, the Danish Perspective. Prof. Edward D. Yeboah of Korle Bu Hospital delivered a paper on Urinary Retention and Prostatism whilst Mrs. Mary Aboagye, CEO, Health Concern College spoke on Capacity Building for Eldercare
Present also were Togbe Adom Drayi who represented the TUC of Ghana and Eva Tabor, International Adviser of the LO/FTF Council’s Sub-Regional Office in Lomé-Togo. Also at the function was Bente Strager, the Director of Social & Healthcare College, Silkeborg, Denmark who spoke on Danish System of Education within the Healthcare Sector
An overview of The Health of the aged was delivered by Mrs. Joana Ansong, a tutor of Health Concern Nursing College.
The seminar ended with a call for a national ageing policy and the incorporation of geriatrics into the mainstream curriculum of nursing education in Ghana
Collins Woode, the Founder and International Coordinator of the Akrowa Aged-Life Foundation treated the gathering to a moment of soulful music
Videos from the seminar:
Niels Vestergaard of So-Su Århus presents danish elder-care.
Bente Stragger of Su-silkeborg presents education for danish elder-care
