We need to see providing services to the elderly as a means of enabling them to exercise all their rights as human beings, beyond being a choice of kindness and benevolence.
Politicians must now also take into account the needs of older voters
We know that Turkey is aging rapidly, that the proportion of people aged 65 and over in the general population has exceeded 10% and that this proportion will increase rapidly in the coming years. However, there is another fact that needs to be taken into account during the election period and is often overlooked: The proportion of elderly and aging voters is much higher. According to Supreme Election Council data, one out of every 5 voters is 60 years of age or older, ie either old or on the road to old age.
As our President Prof. Dr. Rümeyza Kazancıoğlu pointed out, “this is a situation that the candidates who aspire to office in the upcoming local elections should consider carefully. Moreover, the politicians know very well that elderly voters are extremely insistent on voting.”
Providing services for the elderly is now a priority for politicians, but it would be a mistake to see old age as a ball of problems. As we have always advocated, we need to accept old age as a natural stage of life, and provide services to the elderly as a means of ensuring that they exercise all their rights as human beings, beyond being a choice of kindness and benevolence.
As 65+ Elderly Rights Association, we have created an “Age-Friendly City Charter” consisting of a series of concrete goals that politicians who are candidates for municipal administration can include in their action plans, based on the work we have carried out with many municipalities for years, the field surveys we have conducted, and the workshops where we have brought together experts and academics.
As 65+ Elderly Rights Association, we have created an “Age-Friendly City Charter” consisting of a series of concrete goals that politicians who are candidates for municipal administration can include in their action plans, based on the work we have carried out with many municipalities for years, the field surveys we have conducted, and the workshops where we have brought together experts and academics.
The Charter divides the goals into two-year and five-year terms.
In the two-year term, there are mainly trainings on raising awareness and consciousness on aging, which the Municipality will carry out internally, and basic arrangements related to municipal services. It also includes securing free public transportation, which is a legal right.
In the five-year term, there are targets that require more comprehensive planning and budgeting. One of the main targets is for the municipality to establish at least one fully equipped senior living center with specialized staff. It is also envisaged that a support program will be initiated for people caring for their own elderly so that they can spend at least half a day free every week.
With this “Contract” we aim for municipalities to develop a rights-based service approach for their elderly fellow citizens, to see the elderly as individuals with rights rather than needy, and to include them in decision-making processes at the end of the five-year period.
The ultimate goal of these goals, which are set in two phases of two years and five years, is for the municipality to become a member of the “Age-Friendly Cities Network” established by the World Health Organization.
