The world’s population is aging with the fastest growth in the older population projected to take place in Africa. In this article, we present the challenges of the growing older population in Ethiopia, outline some key changes that are needed to address those challenges, and consider the opportunities that can come about when older adults’ basic needs are met and they are supported in contributing to their communities. Older adults in Ethiopia are faced with multidimensional challenges that call for collaborative efforts from different stakeholders at local, regional, and national levels. However, some measures should be given the utmost priority: combating negative attitudes toward older people, strengthening geriatric/gerontology and social work education and research, and developing aging-specific policies and services. Although the challenges faced by older adults in Ethiopia seem like a problem of aging compounded by poverty, the root source of the problem is a poverty of policy fueled by ageism. If income support and appropriate health care was provided to older adults throughout Ethiopia, health and well-being in late life would improve, food and housing insecurity among older adults would lessen, and all Ethiopians could anticipate a dignified late life.

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.

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.

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 older adult population in Africa is projected to experience the fastest growth rate among regions in the world. Although in most Global North nations, 60-65 is considered old, the issue of what age should be accepted as “old” in Sub-Saharan Africa has remained a controversial issue with governments and scholars. The imminent increase in aging in Africa is a call for action since age definition is directly linked to access to programs and policies necessary to ensure older adults’ well-being. Through an online survey, this study investigated the perspectives of Gerontology and Social Work professionals from Sub-Saharan Africa (n=78, 55% female, age range 24-75) on what age should be accepted as “old” or “elderly” for policy development and research purposes. A descriptive analysis indicated that the most endorsed old age marker in Sub-Saharan Africa was 50 years old (33.3%) ---a full decade lower than the United Nation’s designation of old age. The primary factors respondents indicated should be considered when defining old age in Sub-Saharan Africa are health status (73.6%), retirement age (61.1%), and quality of life (56.9%). Age 60 was identified as the most appropriate age to determine eligibility for aging programs (45.1%) and for conducting research on later life (43.5%). We recommend that age guidelines used in Global South regions such as Sub-Saharan Africa should not necessarily mirror the guidelines for age used in the Global North but should fit the context of aging in those regions.