Browsing by Author "Kotecho, Messay Gebremariam"

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    "Homelessness and Health Problems Are Not Distinct:" the Challenges of Rural-Urban Migrant Homeless Older People in Ethiopia
    (Springer, 2021-12) Gebeyaw, Getachew; Kotecho, Messay Gebremariam; Adamek, Margaret E.; School of Social Work
    Compared with western countries, research on homelessness among older people in developing nations is minimal. Unlike in Global North nations that offer income security in late-life, in areas like Sub-Saharan Africa abject poverty contributes to older adults migrating from rural areas to urban centers in search of a means of livelihood. The aim of this study was to explore the challenges faced by homeless older rural-urban migrants in Kobo Town, Ethiopia. This cross-sectional study employed a qualitative descriptive case study. Purposive sampling was used to identify ten older adult migrants who had been homeless for more than a year. Data from in-depth interviews was supplemented with key informant interviews, observation, and document review. The narrative data was analyzed using thematic analysis. Study results revealed that homeless elders faced multiple challenges including lack of necessities such as food, shelter, and water, mobility issues, lack of employment access, social exclusion, and psychological struggles. The findings call attention to the need for practical access to social and economic empowerment responses to prevent and curb homelessness among older adults in developing nations.
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    “It is all About Giving Priority to Older Adults’ Needs:” Challenges of Formal Caregivers in Two Old Age Homes in Ethiopia
    (Springer, 2022-12) Dawud, Meriem; Kotecho, Messay Gebremariam; Adamek, Margaret E.; School of Social Work
    With a growing older population needing long-term care in Ethiopia, this study examined the challenges and needs of formal caregivers at two older adult homes. A qualitative, exploratory design was employed. Purposive sampling was used to identify 14 formal caregivers and 6 key informants who engaged in in-depth interviews. Formal caregivers assisted older adults with personal care, medication administration, and emotional support. As a result of high workloads, long work hours, an absence of training, and minimal compensation, caregivers faced many challenges including managing older adults’ difficult behavior, exposure to health hazards, and task burden. The all-encompassing demands of caring for older adults in resource-poor environments contributed to negative consequences that spilled over into caregivers’ personal lives. The capacity of formal caregivers to meet the needs of long term care residents in developing nations can be enhanced through training in geriatric care, adequate compensation, and best practice guidelines for long term care.
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    'No Matter How Harsh, We Are Alive': Coping Strategies of Rural–Urban Migrant Homeless Older People in Ethiopia
    (Wiley, 2022-11) Gebeyaw, Getachew; Kotecho, Messay Gebremariam; Adamek, Margaret E.; School of Social Work
    The prevalence of homelessness among older adults in Ethiopia is growing. While prior studies examined the push factors and challenges of homeless elders, little is known about how older people cope with homelessness in a context of limited ageing services. This study explored the coping strategies of homeless older people in Kobo Town, Ethiopia. Purposive sampling was used to identify 10 homeless older people and four key informants. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data collected through in-depth interviews. To cope with the challenges faced on the street, homeless older people used various strategies including begging, holy water, drying leftover food, using river water for hygiene and sanitation, sleeping in church compounds, and creating their own social networks. Despite their best efforts, elders' coping strategies could not overcome the barriers imposed by their resource-poor environment. The findings call attention to the urgent need for a national response to elders' unmet needs including an income support programme and multifaceted support services for older adults in Ethiopia.
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    Promoting the Well-Being of Older People in Ethiopia: Lost Opportunities Due to the Poverty of Policy
    (Oxford, 2024) Adamek, Margaret E.; Kotecho, Messay Gebremariam; Teshome, Abraham Zelalem; School of Social Work
    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.