Conducting ageing-related research and disseminating their findings remain one of the core activities of the Centre for Ageing Studies. Listed here are ongoing and completed research projects conducted by the Centre.
Understanding the Existential Trajectories of Successful Ageing among the Elderly in Ghana
Description: Successful ageing has become one of the topics of research interest, particularly in contemporary African settings due to projected estimates of the pace of population ageing in developing countries. While researchers have made attempts to unearth the most salient of the possible determinants of successful aging, among the elderly in non-Western countries like Ghana, very little is known about the lay representations of successful aging. The purpose of this study is to explore important related constructs of successful ageing such as meaning of life, perceptions about death, spirituality, and forgiveness of life’s inevitable offenses and injustices. Drawing on the latest classic grounded theory and africultural coping model, in-depth one-to-one qualitative interviews will be conducted with 24 elderly males and females aged 60 years and above. Grounded theory will be used as the analytical framework for the interview data. It is expected that the study will generate a theory of successful aging that could guide care and religious institutions and families to appropriately meet the sociocultural, spiritual, and care needs of the aged. It could also provide insights into intergenerational factors relevant to the process of active aging, which may be a useful life guide to the youth.