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The lived experiences of caregivers of older adults in Ghana are not well understood. The purpose of this study was to explore and discuss the lived experiences of these caregivers using the Ethics of Care as a theoretical lens and Interpretative phenomenological analysis as the methodological approach. Ten caregivers in receipt of social welfare services on behalf of older adults were recruited from the Social Welfare Unit at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) in southern Ghana. The analysis identified five interrelated themes: 1) committing the Self to caregiving; 2) caregiving impacting the Self; 3) motivating factors to caregiving; 4) caregiving burdens, and 5) thinking about personal affairs. Their experiences demonstrate that caregivers value the caregiving relationship, as posited by Ethics of Care, and tend to care for their health and well-being. Caregivers' expression of commitment to caring for older adults is mainly influenced by reciprocity, despite internal and external stressors, and desire to fulfil unmet personal needs. Ethics of care offers an understanding of the lived experiences of caregivers of older adults in Ghana. The findings draw attention to the state to develop specific programs to ensure the health, social and financial well-being of older adults' caregivers., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

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., (© 2020 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Introduction: In Ghana, the care needs of older adults in the later years has become a critical issue given population ageing and increased proportions of older adults with difficulties with functional abilities. However, factors related to caregiver availability is unknown. The purpose of this study was to examine how the World Health Organisation's International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health (WHO-ICF) framework relates to caregiver availability for community-dwelling older adults in Ghana. This evidence will strengthen our understanding of the perceived unmet care needs of older adults in Ghana in Africa., Materials and Methods: A hospital-based survey was conducted among 400 consecutively recruited older adult in-patients using a questionnaire at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in southern Ghana. Multivariate logistic regression tested associations between caregiver availability and other factors as related to the WHO-ICF conceptual framework., Results: Eighty-six per cent of the participants reported having an available caregiver. In the final parsimonious model, the environmental factors were highly related to caregiver availability, seconded by personal factors, and then health conditions. Body function and structure, activity, and participation variables were not statistically significant. Overall, the variables that were associated with caregiver availability were age, being a widow, having a single chronic condition, being hardly understood by friends and family, receiving no neighbourhood support, and having 2-4 children. Interaction existed between being a widow and living as a couple in relation to caregiver availability., Conclusions: Caregiver availability is associated with variables under the personal, health and environmental components of the WHO-ICF. Increased effort to strengthen the current and future welfare programs, including the health of older adults and their caregivers is relevant., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.