By Hafsa Obeng
Accra, Oct. 1, GNA – Dr Edward Danso, Chief Executive Officer of Comi Relief Foundation (CRF) Global and “The Respite,” has called for a fundamental transformation in the way Ghana approaches healthcare for older persons.
He said the growing ageing population faced challenges including sickness, poverty, inadequate healthcare systems, limited public education and neglect, which required urgent and coordinated interventions.
Dr Danso made the call in at a seminar organised for the aged to mark the 2026 World Ageing Day celebration, on the theme: “I Will Never Forget You”, on Thursday, in Koforidua.
He said the theme serves as a solemn commitment to grandparents, parents and older persons whose sacrifices had contributed to the development of society.
“As a society, we owe our existence to their sacrifices. However, as the ageing population grows, so do the challenges that threaten to push them into isolation,” he said.
Dr Danso said society must move beyond merely treating illnesses among older persons to providing healthcare that promoted dignity, independence and quality of life.
He said there was the need to decolonise ageing healthcare, involving a shift from a eurocentric, one-size-fits-all model towards approaches that considered the specific needs and realities of ageing persons.
He said healthcare providers must focus on identifying the fundamental causes of illnesses rather than merely masking symptoms, while helping older persons maintain their physical abilities and continue engaging in activities they valued.
Dr Danso said specialised geriatric care was particularly important because older persons often experienced multiple, interacting health conditions requiring comprehensive assessment and management.
He explained that a geriatrician considered how conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, arthritis and heart disease interacted, while also taking into account changes in the ageing body.
“Instead of treating a single disease in isolation, they analyse how multiple health issues interact,” he said.
He noted that changes in body temperature, resting heart rate, blood pressure and breathing patterns occurred naturally with ageing and could be misunderstood if healthcare professionals did not have adequate knowledge of geriatric care.
Dr Danso said CRF Global’s SMART Clinic was designed to provide comprehensive care to older persons, including the management of multiple chronic conditions, preventive treatment and assessment of medication interactions.
He said the facility also assessed memory loss, confusion and different forms of dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease, while evaluating balance and environmental hazards to help protect the functional independence of older persons.
He added that the organisation utilised digital and remote healthcare services to bring medical care closer to seniors, particularly during emergencies, thereby reducing the stress associated with travelling to health facilities.
Dr Danso said CRF Global, a non-profit organisation dedicated to improving the lives of grandparents and older persons, had implemented interventions in the area for the past 14 years.
Its interventions, he said, included targeted in-person and remote healthcare services, public awareness campaigns on ageing and preventive health, guidance for families caring for older persons, and online radio and television programming providing health education and entertainment for the elderly.
He said the organisation, together with “The Respite,” would continue to promote practical solutions to the challenges confronting Ghana’s ageing population.
“By restructuring our approach to ageing care, we ensure that our elderly live out their years with the independence and dignity they earned. We will continue to build a healthcare system that remembers them,” he said.
GNA
Edited by Kenneth Odeng Adade
1 Oct. 2026
Reporter: Hafsa Obeng