Caregiver’s perceptions regarding assisted care in the Cape Coast Metropolitan area

Abstract

Objectives: This study explored and described perceptions of caregivers regarding inception of assisted care. Background: In old age, people increasingly need help from others. Older people’s inability to take care of themselves makes them dependent on their families. Their survival is at risk when they become frail or fall ill, and a single bout of ill health may well be terminal. Methods: This study used three questions in its investigation: How do the aged prepare for their ageing? What services constitute the traditional model for care? How would respondents feel if this care was replaced with assisted care that took the form of modernized traditional care? The study used a mixed method, sequential approach in which qualitative data was collected before quantitative data. The quantitative data was used to augment the qualitative data. Data was collected through focused group discussions and questionnaires from 388 respondents ranging in age from 13 to 72 years and over a period of 5 months ie. from September 2016 to January 2017. The Focus Group Discussions, (FGD) were digitally recorded and transcribed verbatim. Quantitative data was entered into SPSS version 23 and cleaned. Both sets of data were coded and analysed. Results: The study revealed that the primary role of care givers was to provide care for their aged; that they had no idea how the aged they served prepared for their ageing, and that the idea of assisted care was well received, with strong approval from almost all of the 388 respondents. Conclusion: Care givers perceived assisted living as an area where they could learn new skills and have an opportunity to earn money from legitimate work. The study also showed that care givers pay less attention to the work they were doing because it was unpaid.