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Migrants face several unmet health needs due to the inability of the healthcare system to address their healthcare challenges. As a result, they adopt coping strategies to overcome their healthcare needs. Consequences can include infrequent but severe adverse reactions, dangerous drug interactions, incorrect dosage etc. Little is known in Ghana about the role played by cultural and linguistic barriers in shaping migrants' access to formal healthcare and the coping mechanisms adopted by these migrants to overcome their healthcare challenges. Surprisingly, most of the studies that have been conducted have focused on financial barriers to care accessibility. This presents a loss opportunity for any health programme aimed at addressing this inequity. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to fill this gap by exploring the challenges of healthcare accessibility and coping strategies adopted by migrants to overcome their healthcare needs in the informal urban settlement of Madina, in the Greater Accra Region. The author employed a narrative type of qualitative research design. A purposive and then snowball sampling technique were used to select 20 participants to participate in the study after saturation was reached. Twelve in‐depth interviews (IDIs) and six key informants' interviews (KIIs), as well as two focus group discussions (FGDs), were conducted. The study is consistent with the ecological model, which posits that health is determined by influences at multiple levels. The author found linguistic, cultural, stigmatisation and financial challenges as the main barriers to healthcare accessibility among the migrants. As a result, self‐medication and the use of lay health personnel for addressing healthcare needs were more pronounced. The study also found other means of survival that posed a health risk to the migrants. Based on this, it was recommended that healthcare systems take into account the healthcare needs of migrants who are people with culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although healthy life expectancy is projected to be increasing among older people in Ghana, a high proportion and number of older people will live with functional disability, warranting their need for long‐term care. We explored the expressions used by older people to describe their needs and preference of care and support. Using the descriptive qualitative approach, 14 older people were engaged via semi‐structured interviews, and the data were analysed thematically. The study found that older people desired a decent accommodation, preferential healthcare, adequate nutrition, and an opportunity to interact with their peers at social functions. A provision of sufficient financial assistance, adequate healthcare, the periodic organisation of social and group events for older people, and the availability of home care and support could help older people address these needs. The paper reveals the need for interventional research on how a model incorporating social, health and environmental factors even during a pandemic can address older people's varying needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The COVID-19 pandemic has affected all aspects of professional disciplines including occupational therapy; however, little is known about how much of an impact the COVID-19 pandemic affected occupational therapy practice in Ghana. This study examined the impacts, coping strategies, and COVID-19 pandemic lessons for occupational therapy practices in the future. A descriptive qualitative design was employed with a purposive and convenience sampling methods to recruit occupational therapists from four practice settings in Ghana. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with seven participants. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using thematic analysis. Four major themes were identified from the analysis enlightening stakeholders on the impact and preparation for minimizing the impact of future pandemics on the workloads of an occupational therapist. The major themes are (1) impacts of the COVID-19 on occupational therapy practice and practitioners; (2) aspects or domains of work significantly affected by the pandemic; (3) the existing strategies employed to handle the challenges; and (4) strategies to minimize these challenges in the future. The current study has enlightened stakeholders on the need to make alternate preparations including telehealth, continuous support for telehealth infrastructures, training of practitioners, and research to adapt intervention strategies effectively. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study sought to explore user and community responses to service delivery gaps in emergency obstetric care provision in rural Ghana. A qualitative design was employed to draw evidence from observations, interviews and focus group discussion among healthcare providers, clients and community members. Data processing and analysis followed a thematic approach. Findings reveal community interference in obstetric care delivery processes, reliance on unskilled providers, recourse to local oxytocin use, non‐compliance to prescribed treatment and mistrust in healthcare providers as user and community coping mechanisms to perceived poor quality obstetric care. These behaviours have serious consequences on the life chances of pregnant and parturient women. The need to adapt to a more responsive and affordable maternal healthcare delivery system is essential for uptake of services in rural areas. Also, standardised guidelines to regulate health worker behaviour is critical to instil trust in the healthcare system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Healthcare provider attitudes and perceptions of disability may influence the delivery of comprehensive quality care to patients with disabilities. The study was conducted to ascertain healthcare providers' perspectives on access to healthcare by disabled people in a peri‐urban district of Ghana. We employed a qualitative approach and selected participants using the purposive sampling technique. Qualitative data were collected from 28 healthcare providers through face‐to‐face interviews using an interview guide. Data let thematic an alysis was employed to tease out the findings through categorisation and the main themes have been presented as findings with specific quotations to support them. We found that people with disabilities who visited healthcare facilities were perceived as individuals who are stressed up, selfish and inconsiderate, violent, having low self‐esteem and also difficult to communicate with. This could affect the interactions between healthcare providers and people with disabilities who visit the facility and subsequently the quality of service provided. It is recommended that the Ministry of Education, Ministry of Health and the Ghana Health Service work closely with the various educational institutions to train healthcare professionals to improve their knowledge on disability issues to improve service delivery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Little research has been conducted to explore the functional status of community‐dwelling older adults in sub‐Saharan Africa, including Ghana, especially during the COVID‐19 pandemic. This study investigated the functional status and the health‐seeking behaviour of older adults during the COVID‐19 pandemic in Ghana. Utilising a descriptive qualitative approach, semi‐structured interviews were used to collect data from 12 eligible older adults from southern Ghana. With the use of NVivo (v12), descriptive and focused coding techniques were employed to analyse the data. The following five themes were identified after the data analysis: (a) older adults' health status during COVID‐19 pandemic, (b) feeling limited, (c) feeling of unhappiness for being inactive, (d) striving to be active and (e) seeking healthcare during COVID‐19 pandemic. This study revealed the unique health and social‐related needs of Ghanaian older adults during the COVID‐19 pandemic. This study's findings draw attention to the urgent need for the state to devise practical health and social‐related initiatives to support older adults during and after the COVID‐19 pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of the study was to explore how neglected older people describe the factors contributing to their state of neglect. A Phenomenological qualitative approach making use of a semi‐structured interview was adopted. Purposive criterion and snowballing sampling were employed to recruit 12 older people facing neglect from Winneba in Ghana. Thematic data analysis making use of in‐vivo and focussed coding was employed. Four major interrelated themes were identified. The themes are (a) "Since the death of my husband": neglect as a function of a natural cause; (b) "I did not plan well by then": neglect attributed to the self; (c) "They do to all of us": neglect resulting from the failure of government institutions; and, (d) "Our family do not even come to see us": neglect attributed to the breakdown of the extended family system. Application of the ecological theory in the discussion improves our understanding of holistic factors depriving older people of care and protection in Ghana. The findings draw attention to programs and policies, taking into consideration the personal, health and environmental factors to meet the needs of older people in Ghana. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]