Long-term Care for Older Adults in Africa: Pay Attention to the Situation of Older Women

In their recent editorial in JAMDA, Essuman et al1 address an issue that is only starting to emerge in Africa, namely the management of older persons in long-term care facilities. There are several reasons for this. From a societal perspective, the old African saying “When an old person dies, a library burns to the ground” seems to have become obsolete. Indeed, the older members of African society are progressively losing their central role as sages, protectors of tradition, and guarantors of the passing down of culture from generation to generation.