The role of the social partners.

Social engineers have a vital role to play in restoring and improving the lives of vulnerable people in society, especially the elderly. The wonderful contributions of the "elderly population" around the world during their youth can not be overstated. Some have worked tirelessly and selflessly to set an indelible pace for their family, community, organization, religious group, badociation, country and the world at large. Many experiences were marked by intense struggles and humiliations, but they consciously tried to raise the progressive flags of society for a sustainable life.

Since time immemorial, traditional actors and family members play a vital role in providing adequate social benefits, care and protection for the elderly in many communities and families. However, this philosophy has weakened considerably over the years because of the excessive dependence on the nuclear family system and the growing tendency to adopt the principle of individualism. It is therefore extremely difficult for most people to deal with ageism and its attendant problems, especially those with low incomes living in urban and peri-urban areas. The survival strategies of the elderly / elderly have been the subject of much research and study by many researchers in the fields of social work, sociology, anthropology, among others. Notab. This suggests how imperative and critical this question is, according to many thanks, from academics, policy makers and students. Unfortunately, and without a doubt, most policies developed by policy makers and politicians seem to me more reactive than adopting and developing a proactive approach to intervention.

Another problem that deserves to be mentioned is the increasing rate of divorce in Ghanaian society. This has upset our family system as well as the cultural imperatives that constitute the foundations of our social institutions. The single-parent and step-family system has penetrated into our privileged domain of family orientation, which has largely contributed to destroying the bond, cohesion, unity and reciprocity of our culture.

In some cultures, some men have the myth and ideology that if they manage to take good care of their children, it is the family members of the wives who will enjoy the fruits of their labor. Therefore, they fail to raise their fruits. children at an appreciable level in society. Some even neglect them to cope with the difficulties of the economy. When this occurs, most women are responsible for meeting the health, education and livelihood needs of children such as food, shelter, clothing, care, warmth, emotional and social support. . When these children grow up and realize that they have been neglected by their father, they also tend not to care about him and the cycle continues even though there are exceptions.

On the other hand, superstition also has a great influence on our philosophy of social care for the elderly. Some names like "witchcraft" are stoned for most men and women in some societies. People without teeth, those who place white cats on their knees and the very poor are considered witches in some communities. This causes them serious psychological damage at this critical stage of life. In extreme cases, some are isolated and camp in witch camps to deal with intense neglect and social death. It has also intensely weakened our love, care and affection for the elderly, forgetting that this stage is also part of the human development cycle, so that each individual could eventually experience it.

The Ghanaian government, since 1965, has done an excellent job in introducing SSNIT and Ghana's Pension Law in 2008. Although it has made considerable progress and restored the lives of many older people in Ghana, there is still much of revision, reconstruction and construction to be done. Some relevant issues, such as the refusal of some private institutions to pay the contribution of their employees to the SSNIT, are commonplace. Others do not pay it on time, with several arrears. Some also pay less than the required minimum, which has a big impact on the amount of money the retirees. Again, some organizations and citizens are unaware of the content, composition and importance of SNNIT for their lives, their families and their communities. Likewise, some refugees experience a crisis at retirement age because they have no family or people to rely on to survive, nor do they enroll in the pension plan that could grant them some form of badistance or support. Unfortunately, some underrepresented communities also have limited knowledge of these packages and, although they were well aware, have difficulty providing input from SNNIT.

The impression is that so far, a person has reached retirement age, automatically such a person can survive based on his contribution to the SSNIT. Here again, these people will receive their pension allowance and will be able to survive alone. This has taken root in most communities in Ghana, and this is dramatically affecting the survival rate of older people.

Realistically and more constructively, individuals and families must be totally ambushed during their adolescence and youth to be able to develop mechanisms to work cautiously, achieve a good standard of living and make investments necessary in the era of their retirement. There needs to be a lot of emphasis on building resilient families and individuals who would be able to support themselves in their old age, without necessarily relying on the pension plan. By building resilient families, each family would be able to adequately meet the needs of its members. This requires the integration of a larger number of social workers into the family system to resolve crisis situations and strengthen their level of homeostasis and resilience.

In addition, social workers in the industrial sector need to be effectively integrated into organizational structures in order to empower them to develop better comprehensive social protection programs and additional benefits for employees, needed to help them function more effectively during retirement. Organizations that do not respect their contributions to the SNNIT will be invited to do so in a more responsible and sensitive way.

Although the LEAP program has helped to break some of the cycle of poverty for many older poor people in Ghana, much remains to be done. As Frederick Douglas rightly said: "It is even earlier to build stronger children than to repair broken men." This presupposes that more resources should be devoted to building stronger, stronger individuals, families, organizations, religious groups, schools, and communities. of responsibility, care, love, cohesion and reciprocity, in order to enable them to adequately take care of the needs of their former members, without necessarily relying on the government for help or help.

In addition, ongoing education and advocacy must be done effectively to educate citizens about the reality of ageism and its complex problems. Family members must be truly socialized to understand and apply the principle of filial piety in the home environment. Ghanainas must also be thoroughly informed about the life cycle of human development, so that they can accommodate, appreciate, love and properly look after the elderly.

Finally, more policies need to be developed to make room for people who have reached retirement age, but who can actively contribute to the country's workforce and economic framework, through a re-employment process with an appreciable form of allowance or salary. Once again, older people's policies need to integrate refugees effectively so that they can also benefit. More specifically, special policies can be designed to meet the needs and families of older people, to ensure social justice and equity.

Author
Theophile Quaicoe
[email protected]