Home care for an older parent in Ghana: the options, the rules and what to check

How many older people in Ghana live alone?

Ghana had 1,991,736 people aged 60 and over at the 2021 census, and 341,960 of them lived alone, according to the Ghana Statistical Service.

Of the older people living alone, 62,480 were aged 80 or over. The Ghana Statistical Service also found that one in four people aged 60 and over (25.7%) was multidimensionally poor, compared with 29.9% of the whole population.

There were no government-run care homes for older people in Ghana when The Guardian reported on elderly care in Accra in May 2020, so most care is arranged by families.

A 2018 University of Ghana study of urban Greater Accra described the forms care takes: home care by relatives, home care by hired untrained help, home care by trained staff from specialised agencies, privately run residential homes, and privately run day or recreational centres.

What are the options, and how do they compare?

The five options differ mainly in how much clinical skill they bring, who regulates them, and whether your parent stays in their own home.

Who regulates home care and care homes in Ghana?

HeFRA licenses health facilities in Ghana, and its 2011 Act lists nursing care, nursing agencies and homes for the aged among the practices that need a licence.

The Act's list also includes nursing homes and convalescent homes, and it defines a geriatric home as a home for the aged. It says no one may operate a facility unless it is licensed, a full licence lasts three years, and the licence must be displayed in a prominent place that patients and clients can see.

In December 2025 HeFRA said it was investigating reports of nurses in the Upper East Region treating patients in their homes without authorisation, and stated that no individual or group may provide clinical care outside licensed facilities. A private nurse giving clinical care at home should therefore be able to say which licensed facility or agency they work through.

The Nursing and Midwifery Council of Ghana registers nurses, midwives and nurse assistants. It issues a Professional Identification Number (PIN) to each registered nurse and midwife, and an Auxiliary Identification Number (AIN) to each nurse assistant. Licences to practise are renewed every year, and the nurses' association agreed with the Council in 2022 that members should be licensed by 1 January each year.

We could not find a public online register on the Council's website in November 2026. To confirm that a nurse is registered and currently licensed, contact the Council on +233 302 522 909 or info@nmc.gov.gh.

House help is covered by the Labour (Domestic Workers) Regulations 2020, which require a written employment contract. Each side keeps a copy and a third goes to the labour office in the district where the worker lives; the contract can set out pay, meals, accommodation, working hours, leave and holidays.

Some care homes are also registered with the Department of Social Welfare. The 2018 University of Ghana study found one Accra home registered as a non-profit organisation and a social welfare facility, and recommended that the Department inspect such homes periodically.

What does care cost in Ghana?

Few care providers in Ghana publish prices, so neutral cost figures are scarce and dated, and any quote should be compared with at least one other.

The Guardian reported in May 2020 that fees at one residential home in Kasoa averaged about $250 a month, depending on the care needed.

A 2023 University of Ghana survey of 460 households in La Nkwantanang-Madina, Greater Accra, found that 72% would be willing to pay for residential care for an older relative, at an average stated amount of GH₵1,403.30 a month. These are amounts households said they would pay, not fees charged, and only 28.5% of households had heard of such homes.

Ghana's national daily minimum wage is GH₵21.77 from 1 January to 31 December 2026, up from GH₵19.97.

Health care is a separate cost. People aged 70 and over are exempt from National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) premiums.

What does the law say about older people in Ghana?

Ghana's National Ageing Policy was approved by Cabinet in 2010, but in April 2026 there was still no law dedicated to the rights and care of older people.

An Aged Persons' Bill has been in preparation since at least 2017, when the Minister for Gender, Children and Social Protection said it would create a National Council for Aged Persons and an Aged Fund. It was listed for consideration on the agenda of Parliament in January 2019.

In April 2026, the University of Ghana's Centre for Ageing Studies called on Parliament to expedite the Aged Persons' Bill, so it had not become law by then. Until it does, the main rules that apply to paid care are HeFRA licensing under the 2011 Act, nurse registration, and the 2020 domestic worker regulations.

Before anyone starts caring for your parent in Ghana

Most of these checks take one phone call or one visit, and they are easier to do before care starts than after.

• Ask any agency, nursing service or care home for its HeFRA licence.
• Check the licence is displayed where residents and visitors can see it.
• Ask each nurse for their Nursing and Midwifery Council PIN.
• Confirm the PIN and this year's licence with the Council.
• Ask who supervises clinical care and which licensed facility it runs through.
• Give any house help a written contract, and file a copy with the district labour office.
• Agree pay, hours, rest days, leave, meals and accommodation in writing.
• Agree who covers nights, sickness and holidays.
• Visit a care home or day centre in person, or send someone you trust, before agreeing.
• Check your parent's NHIS membership is active.
• Save 112, Ghana's number for ambulance, police and fire, in your parent's phone and the carer's.
• Agree how often the carer will update you, and how.

What if your parent also needs hospital care?

Before care at home starts, it helps to know which hospital your parent would use and to check their NHIS membership is active.

Our guides to healthcare in Ghana and to hospitals in Accra cover NHIS, public and private hospitals, and emergencies. Kinship works in Nigeria today, with Ghana coming soon.

Questions people ask

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