SOCIAL JUSTICE AMONG ELDERLY ADULTS WITH DISABILITY: IMPLICATION FOR ACCESS TO SOCIAL BENEFITS

Late-life has traditionally been regarded as a time for relaxation and reflection upon the time spent in life. However, this experience is often not the case for older adults in developing countries. Despite the growing numbers of older adults and efforts to support this population, there continue to be significant setbacks emerging from a lack of policy sensitivity and numerous implementation challenges, especially for older adults with physical disabilities who seek to access social benefits. Many older adults with disabilities continue to experience diverse social, cultural, and economic challenges spanning from financial insecurity, social isolation, mental and physical health needs, and elder abuse. These challenges, confounded with the presence of a disability, may result in older adults taking up laboured activities, such as street begging in urban environments around the country or engage in subsistence farming as a coping mechanism to challenges they face in late-life. This paper looks into the characteristics of older adults Ghana and policies that affect their access to social benefits. Recommendations in this paper include a call for the Government of Ghana to revise the retirement age from 60 to 65 years and focus on challenges associated with reports of corrupt practices among appointees in the distribution of disability funds through local government structures. Keywords: Disability, older adults, Ghana, social benefits, retirement