Behind the Box: A Sociological Analysis of Theft, Tampering and Mishandling of Postal Packets

There is no gainsaying the fact that besides the physical requirements of food and shelter, man has another fundamental need, the need to communicate with his fellow human beings. The urge for communication is natural, primal and, in our modern interdependent world, a necessity. Indeed, our social life revolves around communication since it is the cement that holds society together. It is for this very important reason that postal service was developed to provide the indispensable link between people living in different parts of the world. Thus, through postal service people separated by hundreds and thousands of miles can be brought together. However, over the years, there have been malpractices in and against the Ghana Post Company Limited. These have resulted in numerous complaints, which constitute an indication of the public dissatisfaction with the performance of the organization. The study revealed that indeed mail theft, pilfering, tampering and mishandling of postal items are present at the Post Offices in Ghana. Among others, we identify factors such as social solidarity among workers, social pressure and ‘conducive’ working environment as contributing to mail theft, pilfering and mishandling of postal packets.   Key words: Postal service; Pilfering; Tampering; Mail theft; Devianc

Unanticipated Consequences of Imprisonment on Families of Prison Inmates of Kumasi Central Prison of Ghana

Prisons in Ghana, like most prisons the world over, are established to keep offenders from society and to try and reform them so that they will become useful citizens. Prisons are considered as crime fighting-devices which govern penal policy. However, there are many social, psychological and financial costs of imprisonment on the spouse and children of the prisoner. For instance, how do the remaining spouses and children cope with the social, psychological and financial problems resulting from incarceration? What social support systems exist in Ghana for the benefit of the families of the incarcerated? These questions and a few others formed the bases for which 25 families of prisoners in the Kumasi Central Prisons were purposively sampled and interviewed to examine the unintended consequences of imprisonment on the families of the incarcerated. The results of the study indicated that the incarceration of family members led to social stigma of the spouses and children, reduction in family fortunes, emotional and psychological trauma, infidelity and family breakdown. Consequently, the spouses and their children resorted to prayers from churches and pastors to cope with the situation, quitting their residences, relocating to cheaper and affordable accommodation and  reducing their expenditure and ‘luxury’ in order to survive, owing to unavailability of social support systems except temporary financial assistance from friends, close relatives and religious organizations. The study made some recommendations

Prison without Walls: Perception about Community Service as an Alternative to Imprisonment in Kumasi Metropolis, Ashanti Region, Ghana

The numerous challenges, such as increasing prisoner population, inadequate financial support and deteriorated training facilities, have not enabled the Prisons Service to perform their functions adequately. The paper aimed at investigating the perception among residents of Kumasi metropolis about community service as an alternative to imprisonment. This study adopted the social survey research design to investigate the perception of 200 respondents regarding community service as an alternative form of punishment to imprisonment. The study revealed that generally, the public were well informed about community service and preferred it to imprisonment. On the contrary, preference for community service was related to its perceived appropriateness for reducing the stigma that was usually attached to ex-convicts as well as its perceived ability to reform offenders better than imprisonment. Respondents agreed that minor offences were appropriate for community sentences. Also, people with communicable diseases, pregnant and nursing mothers, single parents and first time offenders should be given community service which must be communal in nature. Some recommendations were made

Prevalence and determinants of care needs among older people in Ghana

Introduction Given the longevity noticed among older people in Ghana, and the potential occurrence of functional disability in later years of life, it has become essential to understand their care needs. This study examined the care needs in daily tasks and associated factors in Ghana, following the World Health Organisation International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health framework. Materials and methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among a sample of 400 older people from Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Southern Ghana. Care need was assessed by one question; “Do you regularly need help with daily tasks because of long-term illness, disability, or frailty?” Multivariate logistic regression was used to test the association between care need and independent variables based on the WHO-ICF conceptual framework. Results Majority of the sample (81%), particularly women (54%) reported needing care in daily tasks. Per the WHO-ICF conceptual framework, functional disability—activity variable, (OR = 1.07 95%CI: 1.05–1.09, p<0.001), and absence of government support—an environmental factor, (OR = 3.96 95%CI: 1.90–8.25, p<0.001) were associated with care need. Conclusions The high prevalence of care needs among older people may offer an indication that majority of older people in Ghana could benefit from long-term care services. Functional disability and the absence of government support are the major issues that need to be prioritised in addressing the increased demand for care related to performing daily tasks among older people in Ghana.Introduction Given the longevity noticed among older people in Ghana, and the potential occurrence of functional disability in later years of life, it has become essential to understand their care needs. This study examined the care needs in daily tasks and associated factors in Ghana, following the World Health Organisation International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health framework. Materials and methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among a sample of 400 older people from Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Southern Ghana. Care need was assessed by one question; “Do you regularly need help with daily tasks because of long-term illness, disability, or frailty?” Multivariate logistic regression was used to test the association between care need and independent variables based on the WHO-ICF conceptual framework. Results Majority of the sample (81%), particularly women (54%) reported needing care in daily tasks. Per the WHO-ICF conceptual framework, functional disability—activity variable, (OR = 1.07 95%CI: 1.05–1.09, p<0.001), and absence of government support—an environmental factor, (OR = 3.96 95%CI: 1.90–8.25, p<0.001) were associated with care need. Conclusions The high prevalence of care needs among older people may offer an indication that majority of older people in Ghana could benefit from long-term care services. Functional disability and the absence of government support are the major issues that need to be prioritised in addressing the increased demand for care related to performing daily tasks among older people in Ghana.publishedVersio

Perceived neighborhood social cohesion and functional disability among older adults: The moderating roles of sex, physical activity, and multi-morbidity

Though the Ghanaian social structure is largely communal in several of its social life and social spaces, the extent to which cohesive neighbourhood affects functional ability of older persons and the moderating factors of the relationship, are unknown in Ghana. This study examines the moderating roles of sex, multimorbidity, and physical activity on the association between neighbourhood social cohesion and functional disability among older people in Ghana. A cross-sectional study of 4,446 people-50 years and older-from WHO's Study on global AGEing and adult health Ghana Wave 2 was employed. Functional disability-WHO Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0-and neighbourhood social cohesion measured with community-level participation, perceived trust and safety were studied. Generalised Logistic regressions with interactional tests were used to examine the associations. A more socially cohesive neighbourhood was significantly associated with a lower functional disability among older people (OR = 0.94, 95%CI: 0.93, 0.94; P<0.001). A similar relationship was found for community-level participation (aOR = 0.94, 95%CI: 0.94, 0.95; P<0.001) and perceived trust (aOR = 1.00, 95%CI: 0.99, 1.00; P<0.001). Community-level participation is associated with a lower functional disability among older people who were physically active (aOR = 0.98, 95%CI: 0.96, 0.99; P<0.001). Among the three individual-level measures of neighbourhood social cohesion, only physical activity (OR = 0.98, 95%CI: 0.98, 0.99; P<0.01) moderated the association between community-level participation and functional disability. Community-level participation, along with physical activity, may be relevant in improving functional ability among older people. The results highlight the usefulness of policy to ensure a more socially cohesive neighbourhood for older people in Ghana to improve their quality of life

Correlates of older adult inpatients' personal care provision to people with functional difficulties in Ghana.

IntroductionMost research depicts older adults as needing personal care, with limited research on older adults' contributions in the lives of others in developing countries like Ghana. The purpose of the study was to examine the personal care provision and socio-demographic correlates of personal care provision by older adult inpatients in Ghana.Materials and methodsA hospital-based survey was conducted among 400 consecutively surveyed older adult inpatients at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in southern Ghana. Stata 15 was used to analyse the data. The relationship between personal care and older adult inpatients' socio-demographic characteristics were analysed using the chi-square test. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was employed.ResultsOverall, 28% of older adult inpatients provided personal care. Participants were mostly females, married or cohabiting, completed at most junior high school, Christians, urban residents, not working and living with their immediate family. Primarily, most participants provided personal care to one person, once a week, and one-hour duration. Nearly three-quarters of participants provided personal care to someone who lives with them. After adjustment, male older adults were 50% less likely to and urban residents were 83% more likely to provide personal care. Being single, separated or divorced was statistically significantly associated with personal care provision, however, were not statistically significant after adjusting for sex and residence. A post hoc analysis testing for interaction revealed no relationship existing between sex and marital status concerning personal care provision (p = 0.106).ConclusionFemale and urban resident older adult inpatients in Ghana are not just passive receivers of care but also provide personal care to others with functional difficulties, independent on age. It further draws attention to the need for policies and programs that can support older adults, particularly females and urban residents, to be productive in the later life

Prevalence and determinants of care needs among older people in Ghana

Introduction Given the longevity noticed among older people in Ghana, and the potential occurrence of functional disability in later years of life, it has become essential to understand their care needs. This study examined the care needs in daily tasks and associated factors in Ghana, following the World Health Organisation International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health framework. Materials and methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among a sample of 400 older people from Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Southern Ghana. Care need was assessed by one question; “Do you regularly need help with daily tasks because of long-term illness, disability, or frailty?” Multivariate logistic regression was used to test the association between care need and independent variables based on the WHO-ICF conceptual framework. Results Majority of the sample (81%), particularly women (54%) reported needing care in daily tasks. Per the WHO-ICF conceptual framework, functional disability—activity variable, (OR = 1.07 95%CI: 1.05–1.09, p<0.001), and absence of government support—an environmental factor, (OR = 3.96 95%CI: 1.90–8.25, p<0.001) were associated with care need. Conclusions The high prevalence of care needs among older people may offer an indication that majority of older people in Ghana could benefit from long-term care services. Functional disability and the absence of government support are the major issues that need to be prioritised in addressing the increased demand for care related to performing daily tasks among older people in Ghana.Introduction Given the longevity noticed among older people in Ghana, and the potential occurrence of functional disability in later years of life, it has become essential to understand their care needs. This study examined the care needs in daily tasks and associated factors in Ghana, following the World Health Organisation International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health framework. Materials and methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among a sample of 400 older people from Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital in Southern Ghana. Care need was assessed by one question; “Do you regularly need help with daily tasks because of long-term illness, disability, or frailty?” Multivariate logistic regression was used to test the association between care need and independent variables based on the WHO-ICF conceptual framework. Results Majority of the sample (81%), particularly women (54%) reported needing care in daily tasks. Per the WHO-ICF conceptual framework, functional disability—activity variable, (OR = 1.07 95%CI: 1.05–1.09, p<0.001), and absence of government support—an environmental factor, (OR = 3.96 95%CI: 1.90–8.25, p<0.001) were associated with care need. Conclusions The high prevalence of care needs among older people may offer an indication that majority of older people in Ghana could benefit from long-term care services. Functional disability and the absence of government support are the major issues that need to be prioritised in addressing the increased demand for care related to performing daily tasks among older people in Ghana