EXPERIENCES OF OLDER ADULTS IN HEALTHCARE CHOICE

VOICES FROM IGBEAGU, IZZI LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, EBONYI STATE NIGERIA

Abstract

Nigeria, like many other developing countries in the world is experiencing an upsurge in the number the older adults. These individuals need to be given adequate health care services to enable them go through ageing process successfully. This study was carried out to determine some personal circumstances and socio-cultural factors that drive healthcare choice of older adults in the rural areas of Ebonyi state. Data for the study was purely qualitative, obtained by means of Focus Groups Discussions (FGDs). Two FGDs were conducted for two different, but, homogeneous groups in a culturally appropriate setting chosen by the participants themselves, and on a non-market and festival-free day. Respondents were drawn from older adults aged 64 – 69 years within the inclusion criteria, using Snowball sampling technique. Results indicate that most participants have more preference for traditional medicine like herbal medicine and faith healing over orthodox medicine, arising from factors like cost, distance, gender, trust, and general attitude of home care-givers and healthcare providers. Few others patronize hospitals and clinics, though, not voluntarily. It was recommended that healthcare services be subsidised for the elderly ones especially in the rural areas. Again, there is a need to provide and/or equip healthcare centres in the rural communities to mitigate the impact of having to travel to travel long distance to access healthcare facilities. Finally, it is imperative that care-givers and the general public be enlightened about some stereotypical, pejorative misconceptions and obnoxious beliefs about the elderly, as some erroneously believe that the elderly ones should not be cared for because prolonging their life would mean more death for the younger members of the family