Maxwell Larweh, Senior Physiotherapist at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital Ghana
We are very pleased to announce Senior Physiotherapist at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital Ghana Mr Maxwell Larweh has accepted our scholarship to attend the Global Ageing Network/Curaviva Global Ageing Conference, 18-21 September 2017, Montreux, Switzerland.
Having worked in both rural and teaching hospitals, Maxwell fully understands the need for health advocacy and trained personnel to push forward a positive health agenda. “I also understand and appreciate the cost implications involved in these endeavours as I have participated in numerous health outreach programs during undergraduate study and also during my time as a Physiotherapist,” he says.
Through these outreach programs, Maxwell has visited most of the regions in his country and experienced first-hand how the needs of the elderly are often neglected. “These experiences have informed my treatment approach to elderly patients and I often visit patients at home to ensure that their living environments are well suited to their rehabilitation needs,” he says.
“I am very passionate about the health and welfare of the elderly patients I treat, as well as the aged population in Ghana as a whole. Majority of the cases I see at my workplace involve the elderly hence my desire to be well informed on their care needs,” he adds.
Maxwell plans to form an aged care NGO in Ghana by the end of the year, and is very much looking forward to interacting with established people in aged care and creating networking opportunities. “I also want to be informed on the latest trends in aged care from top industry players,” he says.
“Working in a teaching hospital will provide me with the platform to organise a workshop on aged care where the information I have gained from the workshop can be disseminated to other health care professionals in the hospital,” says Maxwell. “The teachings from the conference will also aid me in starting my advocacy group for Aged care in Ghana.
He highlights the major challenge of aged care in Ghana is the inability of the aged to access quality health care services as a result of poverty and social neglect. “There is also the problem of inadequate preparedness of the health workforce to care for older people,” says Maxwell. “The unavailability of care homes for the aged is also a key concern.”
As Ashanti Regional Coordinator for the Ghana Physiotherapy Association, Maxwell firmly believes that exercise promotes healthy ageing – and he practices this by playing football every Saturday!
“I also believe in planning for the future and challenging the status quo, hence my desire to help direct public health policies in Ghana towards programmes aimed at improving the life of older people in the country,” he concludes.