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Livelihood, Living Condition And Coping Strategies Among Older Persons
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1.2 STATEMENT OF PROBLEM
In
many societies of the world, older persons must continue to earn their
living so long as possible they want to survive. However, the exclusion
of older persons from income-generating activities is common and
livelihood recovery activities are often planned without considering the
capacities of older persons; For example, government’s intervention
programme like buying of tractors for the older farmers may not be what
the farmers need. Older persons may be more affected during conflict
because they are often custodians of the land that is ravaged or
occupied. Older women’s position in the informal economic sector can
leave them with few marketable skills and no retirement compensation.
Older widows, in particular, are often among the most marginalized in
cultures where the inheritance codes dispossess them on their husband’s
death.
The discrimination and stigmatization attached to the term
‘old age’ or ‘older persons’ is not only a national issue but a global
phenomenon as well.
In the recent years, most developing countries of
the world are adopting the system practiced by the developed countries
in which they help provide livelihoods in terms of pensions on
retirement in old age which may be sponsored by the state or employer.
We must, however, consider those that were never opportune to work in
any government parastatal or with a private employer as well as those
that were retrenched before attaining the retirement age.
In Nigeria,
what is visible to everyone is that supports given to older persons are
chiefly the work of their respective families, which means that any old
person who didn’t plan well for his/her old age and still lack a family
to care and cater for his/her needs is doomed. These old people engage
in different activities such as fishing, carpentry, butchery,
site-labouring, farming and others go into alms begging to keep body,
spirit and soul together as coping strategies. Most of these activities
are aimed at strengthening their survival instinct and for few others,
to stay fit.
The cost on health care is relatively high for the aged
as they frequently have one health issue or the other based on
biological factors attributed to old age. The little gotten to stay
alive will be snuffed out on health care and for those that cannot
afford this or gave families to support them may either take to aims
begging or live with the health challenges till death take their lives
away.
They standard of living is another issue faced by the aged.
There is no market anywhere that sells same item at different prices
using the working class and the non-working class as criteria as regards
to the standard of living. The problems faced by the elderly are so
numerous and the quality of life for the aged is pathetically degrading
in all ramifications.
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ABSRACT - [ Total Page(s): 1 ]Older persons are known for wisdom because they have experienced more days or years on earth more than others. At some point in live, the older persons are disengage from their long life activities and thus, they are deprived of some basic things. The society had been structured that the older persons cannot hold some particular posts or performs some particular activities. The last ASUU-LASU strike has some of the elements of retirement as its core problem with the Government. The older persons ... Continue reading---
