Barriers to Active Aging in Rural Ethiopia: A Call for a Paradigm Shift to a Rights-Based Approach.

Despite historical veneration of elders in many African nations, older adults are increasingly viewed as a burden. Using a hermeneutic phenomenological approach, in-depth interviews were conducted to explore the aging experiences of 20 adults aged 70 and older in rural Ethiopia. Themes that emerged from the interviews were analyzed in light of the three pillars of the World Health Organization's Active Aging Framework: health, security, and participation. Despite facing multiple barriers to active aging including lack of health care, financial hardship, ageism, and social exclusion, study participants were determined not to withdraw from activities in an effort to retain their autonomy, independence, and sense of dignity. Study findings point to the need for policymakers and other concerned bodies to develop supportive policies and programs to promote older adults' well-being. The study calls for a paradigm shift that involves adopting the WHO's Active Aging Framework, developing rights-based policies and programs, popularizing active aging, and revitalizing intergenerational solidarity.

"The Ugly Face of Old Age": Elders' Unmet Expectations for Care and Support in Rural Ethiopia.

As migration, urbanization, and aging accelerate in developing nations, traditional family supports for elders are diminishing. With these trends in mind, hermeneutic phenomenology was used to examine the experiences of 10 rural Ethiopian elders of age 70 and older. Narrative data from in-depth interviews revealed three prominent themes: the "good old days," drained happiness, worry and pessimism. Elders felt devalued by their children, grandchildren, and youth in general. Compared to how they treated their own parents, elders believed that their children's sense of filial obligation was weak and unreliable. Interactions were described as undermining, embarrassing, and abusive. Elders were pessimistic about the prospect of reliable caregivers, even expressing a wish to die before they become dependent on others for care. Despite such challenges, participants viewed aging as a privilege. New cooperative models of community-based care are needed to ensure that elders in developing nations can expect adequate care throughout their lives.

Challenges of Aging in Rural Ethiopia: "Old Age Is like the Sunset: It Brings Disrespect and Challenges".

The literature recognizes that gerontological inquiries are generally scarce in Africa compared to the developed countries. Despite the overall dearth of gerontological studies in Ethiopia, most of the research conducted on issues of older people hitherto excluded rural older people. Many rural older people are totally excluded from community-based long-term care, public pension, and suffer a plethora of plights. The purpose of this phenomenological study was to explore, describe, and interpret experiences of aging of older people with regard to challenges. Hermeneutic phenomenology was used to explore, describe, and interpret experiences of 20 older people (10 male and 10 female) aged 70 and older in an agrarian community. In-depth interview and observation were used to collect data from the participants. The findings of the study indicate that the participants have suffered from many challenges including poverty, deteriorated health and enervation, shrinkage of assets, financial hardship, rejection and scorn by youth, disrespect, abuse, and limited social services. The findings of the study can sensitize policymakers and other concerned bodies to the needs of older people. The implications of the study confirm that enhanced gerontological inquiries in rural areas as well as stronger collaboration among various stakeholders so that systems including community-based long-term care could be created to mitigate these multifaceted challenges.