Respect and reciprocity: Care of elderly people in rural Ghana

This article deals with ideas and practices ofcare of elderly people in a rural Kwahucommunity of Ghana. It is part of a largerproject on social and cultural meanings ofgrowing old. Four questions are addressed: Whatkind of care do old people receive? Whoprovides that care? On what basis do peoplecare for the old or do they feel obliged to doso? And finally, what are the changes takingplace in the field of care for old people?Concepts of respect and reciprocity take acentral position in accounts of care and lackof care. The article is based onanthropological fieldwork, mainly conversationswith 35 elderly people and observations intheir daily lives.

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