While existing research acknowledges copious challenges faced by older adults (people aged 60 and over) in Ghana and most countries in sub-Saharan Africa, they fail to situate the lived experiences of this vulnerable group within the broader context of health geography and public health. This paper draws insights from ecological systems theory and the “geographies of older people” literature to examine the lived experiences of older people in Ghana. Data for the study were gathered using interviews (42) and sharing circles (10). Our findings reveal a complex mix of experiences consistent with the different levels of the environment. Dominant themes include access to social support, functional impairment and poor health status, social status, poor access to water and sanitation services, food insecurity, economic insecurity, and caregiving burden. These findings support the wide-held notion that the experiences of older people are complex and produced by the interplay of both individual and structural factors. Our findings demonstrate that sociocultural, economic, political, and climatic factors are important consideration in promoting elderly wellbeing and quality of life in Ghana.

中文翻译：

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“他们不再关心我们”：了解加纳老年人的状况

虽然现有研究承认加纳和撒哈拉以南非洲大多数国家的老年人（60岁及以上的老年人）面临着巨大的挑战，但他们未能将这一弱势群体的生活经验置于健康地理和公共卫生的更广泛范围内。本文从生态系统理论和“老年人地理”文献中汲取了见识，以考察加纳老年人的生活经历。使用访谈（42）和共享圈子（10）收集研究数据。我们的发现揭示了与环境的不同层次相一致的经验的复杂组合。主要主题包括获得社会支持，功能障碍和不良健康状况，社会地位，难以获得水和卫生服务，粮食不安全，经济不安全和护理负担。这些发现支持了一个广泛的观念，即老年人的经历是复杂的，并且是由个体和结构因素的相互作用所产生的。我们的发现表明，社会文化，经济，政治和气候因素是促进加纳老年人福祉和生活质量的重要考虑因素。