This qualitative study explores solitary ageing in Ghana’s Greater Accra Region. Interviews with 52 older adults from six communities revealed situations of emotional isolation, social disconnection, and poverty. Andrew Kweku Conduah underscores the need for elder-sensitive interventions that address both the material and relational dimensions of ageing.
Between February and April 2024, I conducted a qualitative study in six purposively selected communities in Ghana’s Greater Accra Region—Dansoman, Osu, Adenta (urban), Sege, Korle Gonno, and Bawjiase (rural/peri-urban). Using focus group discussions and semi-structured interviews, 52 older adults aged 60 and above were engaged. Participants were recruited through the Social Security & National Insurance Trust Pensioners Association and interviewed in English or local languages.
The study sought to understand the lived experiences of older people ageing alone or at risk of doing so. Thematic analysis followed Clarke and Braun’s (2013) six-phase process, and findings were interpreted through three sociological lenses (“social determinants of health”, “contemporary life course perspective”, and “feminist gerontology”), to allow for gender-sensitive and structural insight into ageing in solitude.
An emerging but under-researched problem
In Ghana, the share of the population aged 60 and over had risen to 6.4% by 2021 and is projected to double by 2050. Yet this quiet demographic shift has received little structured policy or scholarly attention. While the ageing population grows, the number of older persons living alone is also rising, a reality that challenges the long-standing norms of communal and intergenerational living in African societies (Aboderin & Hoffman 2015; Apt 2012). Most studies on ageing in Ghana and sub-Saharan Africa have focused primarily on poverty, chronic illness, or pension coverage, overlooking the emotional, spiritual, and psychosocial implications of living and ageing in solitude (Cattell 2001; Mba 2010). Widowhood, youth out-migration, and the breakdown of extended family systems have quietly restructured daily life for many older adults, but these patterns remain insufficiently documented or addressed. As a result, existing social protection and health policies fail to account for the relational dimensions of ageing, such as loneliness, anxiety, and social disconnection, especially among those ageing in place with no regular household support.
Lived realities of solitary ageing in Ghana
In urban Accra, a 74-year-old woman lives alone in a single-room compound house. “Weeks pass without a visitor”, she explained. Her children have migrated, and her spouse died ten years ago. Her situation reflects the new reality; declining fertility, rising longevity, and fragmented kinship networks are leaving many older adults, especially women, to age alone. Women are disproportionately affected. They tend to outlive men, experience higher rates of widowhood, and lack formal pensions or income streams. “I don’t need much”, said a 72-year-old woman in Bawjiase. “But I need to know someone remembers I am here.” Men also expressed deep emotional strain. A 68-year-old widower in Adenta shared, “I talk to myself sometimes. It is the only way to break the silence”. Even those with informal work or community visibility felt emotionally disconnected. Solitary ageing in Ghana is thus not merely a matter of residence, but a deeper experience of being socially, spiritually, and emotionally forgotten.
Solitary ageing as a public health concern
Elders living alone face heightened risks of depression, nutritional neglect, untreated illness, and even premature death. Many are not enrolled in targeted programmes, and neighbours may remain unaware of their isolation until a crisis occurs. Shame, pride, or fear of burdening others often prevents older adults from seeking help. This growing vulnerability calls for recognition of solitary ageing as a public health issue, not only in terms of material deprivation but of psychosocial decline.
Policy gaps and a tentative look beyond Ghana
Ghana’s National Ageing Policy offers useful protections, but implementation is weak. Community nurses are under-resourced, and social protection schemes such as LEAP1 often fail to reach those living alone. Few local governments have elder-sensitive housing or visitation systems. While faith-based groups and pensioner associations offer some relief, their impact is small and uncoordinated. Ageing alone is not only about economic deprivation but also about disconnection. Where ageing was once a shared, communal journey, it is now becoming an individual and often silent struggle. The absence of children, regular contact, and supportive neighbours exacerbates both the physical and emotional decline that comes with age. While this study is focused on Ghana, similar patterns may be emerging elsewhere in sub-Saharan Africa. Urbanisation, outmigration, longer survival, and the weakening of traditional familial structures are continent-wide trends. Although contexts vary, the warning signs are clear: the solitary elder is not an isolated case, but a signal of changing times.
Conclusions
Solitary ageing is no longer a distant or marginal issue. It is a pressing demographic reality that demands urgent, targeted, and humane responses. As urbanisation, outmigration, increased longevity, and the weakening of traditional kinship structures continue to erode intergenerational cohabitation, more older adults are left to navigate the final stages of life in profound isolation. This phenomenon must be named, measured, and addressed. Governments, local assemblies, faith institutions, and civil society must act decisively. Routine elder outreach, intergenerational community programmes, and inclusive housing policies must reflect the emerging profile of older adults who age without daily familial contact. Technology and social innovations must also be harnessed not as substitutes for human touch, but as bridges to connection. As one 73-year-old woman in urban Accra said, “I am old, but I have not died. My ears still want to hear a human voice”. That voice must now be society’s, not echoing in pity or policy promises, but responding with a consistent, compassionate presence. Ageing in solitude should not be Ghana’s quiet legacy.
Footnote
1The Livelihood Empowerment Against Poverty (LEAP) programme is Ghana’s national cash transfer initiative targeting extremely poor households. Beneficiaries include the elderly poor (65+), orphans, persons with severe disabilities, and vulnerable pregnant women. In addition to modest bimonthly stipends, LEAP enrollees receive free access to Ghana’s National Health Insurance Scheme. Despite its potential, many isolated older adults remain unreached due to registration gaps and weak community-level implementation.
References
Aboderin, I., & Hoffman, J. (2015). Families, intergenerational care and ageing in sub-Saharan Africa: Policy challenges and responses. International Social Work, 58(2), 275–290. https://doi.org/10.1177/0020872813517320
Apt, N. A. (2012). Ageing in Ghana: Meeting the challenges of a changing society. Accra: Sub-Saharan Publishers.
Clarke, V. & Braun, V. (2013) Teaching thematic analysis: Overcoming challenges and developing strategies for effective learning. The Psychologist, 26(2), 120-123
Cattell, M. G. (2001). African widows, culture and social change: Case studies from Kenya. The International Journal of Ageing and Human Development, 52(4), 321–337. https://doi.org/10.2190/C7G2-8TNN-W7E2-0GVJ
Mba, C. J. (2010). Population ageing in Ghana: Research gaps and the way forward. Journal of Ageing Research, 2010, 672157. https://doi.org/10.4061/2010/672157