High Antibiotic Resistance found among elderly in care homes – Study
A study by the Biomedical and Public Health Research Unit of the CSIR-Water Research Institute (WRI) has found high resistance to commonly used antibiotics among elderly residents of selected care homes in Accra.
The care homes included Benval Home Care at Ashongman Estates; Comfort for the Aged Care at Weija-Gbawe and Kasoa-Amanfro; and Tabitha Home Care in Pokuase, Afiaman, Amamole, Deedeman and Kuntunse.
The findings have prompted calls for care-home managers to stop administering antibiotics routinely without first identifying the infection and determining the most appropriate treatment.
Presenting the findings at the 2026 mid-year review of the CSIR-WRI in Accra, Emmanuel Odartei Armah said the study examined urine samples from elderly residents aged 55 and above.
He said the researchers sought to identify the bacteria and fungi causing the infections and determine which medicines could effectively treat them.
According to him, 41 of the 118 urine samples, representing 34.75 per cent of samples collected contained E. coli, a common bacterium that causes urinary tract infections (UTIs).
Mr Armah said the E. coli bacteria showed the highest resistance to cefepime with 65.9 per cent of the samples not responding to the antibiotic.
“Resistance to cefuroxime stood at 56.1 per cent, while nitrofurantoin and aztreonam each recorded 51.2 per cent,” he added.
He said 46.43 per cent of the bacteria were resistant to more than one antibiotic, a situation that could make some infections more difficult to treat.
In addition to bacterial infections, he said fungal infections were also detected among the elderly residents.
“Further tests confirmed five cases of Candida tropicalis and 12 cases of Candida albicans, representing 21 per cent of the samples examined,” he said.
He said the study found high resistance to fluconazole, a medicine commonly used to treat Candida infections, particularly among Candida tropicalis.
Mr Armah said the findings underscored the need for regular monitoring of resistance to antifungal medicines to ensure that elderly people received effective treatment.
He also said some of the E. coli identified had characteristics that could make them more likely to cause serious infections.
As part of the study, he said educational programmes were organised at selected elderly care homes in Accra.
He called for improved hand hygiene among caregivers to help prevent the spread of infections.
He also urged policymakers to strengthen research and surveillance on antibiotic resistance among elderly people in care homes.
According to Mr Armah, regular screening and the responsible use of antibiotics would help ensure that elderly people received the right treatment while reducing the growing problem of drug-resistant infections.
By Benedicta Gyimaah Folley
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