The General Directorate of Disability and Elderly Services held an online conference on the Covid-19 Process and The View of Old Age and Old Age on World Senior Day on October 1st.
The online conference on the Covid-19 Process and The View of Old Age and Old Age took place under the guidance of Prof. Dr. Emine ÖZMETE, Head of Social Service Department of Ankara University Faculty of Health Sciences, Director of Ankara University's Center for The Application and Research of Elderly Studies, Minister of Family, Labor and Social Services Zehra Zümrüt SELÇUK. The opening speech of the conference was delivered by work Dr. Orhan KOÇ, General Director of Disability and Elderly Services.
Dr. Emine ÖZMETE said, "It was first declared by the United Nations on December 14, 1990 as World Senior Day on October 1st, and I hereby state that we are going through a special period on united nations senior day in 2020. The covid-19 epidemic, both in the world and as our country, has taught us a lot and is gaining new teachings. In this process, our elders stood out as a special population group. We are in a process that creates a new way of life that affects life not only in terms of health but also in social cultural and economic dimensions in both the world and in our country," he said.
Care Model, Integrated Care Model and Home Care Services in Turkey Today Are Very Advanced
"We are faced with the fact that we are getting older as a whole world. One of the main problems of all countries, developed countries is aging while the world is getting older. I know that all countries are trying to revise the retirement age of 65 and try to do so even though they have very strong economies.
At 65, retirement age is a very good decision. The example of Japan in this regard is very accurate. I want to stress again that it is the right decision to have a retirement age of 65. You know, especially in Turkey, we express as preventable deaths, newborn death, child deaths under the age of 5, young age traffic accident, such as deaths and maternal deaths are reduced, I note. It is not possible to be a coincidence of this success, this success was achieved by many development moves such as double means and so on.
The length of healthy aging is undoubtedly a sign that we need to build our social policies on this. From this point of view, Mr. President has declared 2019 the Year of the Elderly. That year, with your participation, we made the 1st Age Here. We've published the old age book. In line with the decisions we have taken in this Old Age, we have also examined the world's examples, done research and prepared the Old Age Mink Certificate. Home care services are different than home health services and are widely applied to the whole geography to cover all segments, regardless of whether the person is insured without charge, a system that serves everyone where they live. This home health care system will now really be exemplary and is being run by our ministry as a complementary system that is rare in the world."
The conference was attended by Prof. Dr. Oya HAZER, Head of The Old Age Platform, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Faculty of Economics and Administrative Sciences, Department of Family and Consumer Sciences. Prof. Dr. HAZER, " This virus, which affects the whole world and causes pandema, has affected the elderly population the most. The stay-at-home call for individuals over the age of 65 is not to infect them, but to protect them, to prevent them from being infected, to take protection and precautions. As we know, having one or more chronic diseases in old age is forcing the immune system to deal with an additional infectious disease. For this reason, it is more important than ever that they can lead a healthy independent life, especially during this period. When we looked at these problems in terms of maintaining the physical social distance related to pandemia, a number of problems began to arise and daily life activities began to be affected, and the most important consequences began to be loneliness and anxiety. and their loved ones may be worried about infection, and as this period progresses, they have started to experience some uncertainties and concerns about daily life activities and maintaining their health."
The conference continued with the presentation of Prof. Dr. Meltem GÜLHAN HALİl, Faculty of Medicine, Hacettepe University.
Prof. Dr. Meltem GÜLHAN HALIL said, "I congratulate the World Elders Day. What did we go through during the pandemia process as a physician? In short, I will describe the problems that physicians face in that process. Fortunately, most of the elderly have had their illnesses afloat. Why were we alarmed when the pandemia process started? Because at the beginning of the epidemic, there was an increase in the number of elderly patients.
Cardiovascular diseases, known as the most important cause of death in the world and in Turkey, came to the fore with chronic disorders such as Kuah accompanying elderly patients. The elderly population has a higher risk of infection. A study conducted in the U.S. Healthcare sector found that the rate of covid 19 in the elderly aged 65 and older was around 17%, compared to the general population. The human immune system is also affected within the scope of Replicat Aging, which is organized by a genetic program and affects the organism in its environmental factors. Immunosensecentence is the process of gradual deterioration of the immune system brought on by natural age progression. In elderly patients, only fever should not be sought as covid 19 symptoms. Because fire is not the only indicator of the immune system of the elderly."
Coşgun GÜRBOĞA, head of the Department of Aged Care Services of the General Directorate of Disability and Elderly Services, said the following information about the official nursing homes connected to the Ministry:
"As of August 2020, 12,919 elderly people are being cared for in 155 nursing homes under our Ministry; this number amounts to 81.79% of the total capacity of 15,795. We have 102 elderly people in 25 living houses with a capacity of 111; In our 31 day life center with a capacity of 457, 382 elderly people are actively serviced. of our elderly people staying in the nursing home unit of our nursing homes are women and 38.40% are men, and in the continuous care unit these rates range from 21.37% to 17.35%, per cent. The proportion of elderly people being looked after is 32.15% for women and 34.72% for men; these rates vary by 12.09% and 21.04% respectively for the elderly who are cared for free. 37.64% of our elderly people in nursing homes are aged 75-84 years, compared to 17.24% to 70-74 years; Between 17.22% and 85-89 year olds follow. In general, our elderly people who are receiving care in our nursing homes are in the advanced old age group and are often in a position where family members cannot take care of them. When looking at the chronic ailments of our elderly people living in our nursing homes, the highest rate is 27.51% of our elderly with cardiovascular disease, followed by dementia/Alzheimer's with 25.05%. When looking at harmful habits that can trigger chronic disorders, 15.25% of the elderly who smoke appear. The proportion of elderly people who are fully dependent on bed is 12.72% for the elderly who are staying in our nursing homes."
Prof. Dr. Toker ERGÜDER, Representative of the Turkish Office of the World Health Organization: The Work done by the General Directorate of Disability and Elderly Services of the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Services has been appreciated by the World
Prof. Dr. Toker ERGÜDER, Lecturer at the University of Health Sciences, Representative of the Turkish Office of the World Health Organization, who was promised to give his speech later, said, "We have been celebrating World Senior Day on October 1st for nearly 30 years since 1990 and we want to create awareness in this field. The increase in life expectancy from the 1950s to the present day to the 68s, and the increase in this average to 73 today, shows the importance of services to the elderly population. Regarding Covit 19, I would like to underline that the work done by the General Directorate of Disabled Elderly Services of the Ministry of Family, Labour Social Services has been appreciated by the whole world. Turkey's elderly population and chronic diseases protected patients very well interventions in elderly population and chronic patients reduced the mortality rate in Turkey greatly, the mortality rate of four percent is a very important achievement compared to other countries.
Continuous testing, quarantine work and working with the shift system of the service are important issues. Social deed groups created within the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Services should go to the homes of the elderly and take their medicines to meet their needs, but also extend the drug reports, which should be written as a plus. As the Representative of the World Health Organization in Turkey, we never care less about the work done by the Ministry of Family, Labor and Social Services".
The last speaker of the conference was Prof. Dr. Filiz CAN, Faculty of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation, Hacettepe University, "During the epidemic we got stronger with some positive ins going on, I think it was a test. As the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Services and the Ministry of Health, we have learned to work more integratedly and more strongly with the elderly. I think it's dementia and Alzheimer's that are the most difficult for us in this service group. I always appreciate the success of nursing homes within the Ministry of Family, Labour and Social Services on every platform, and I think our practices really include guidance. I thank those who have contributed," he said. The conference was completed with mutual q&A of the speakers and participants and the general evaluation of the manager Prof. Dr. Emine ÖZMETE.