Minister of Family and Social Services Mahinur Özdemir Göktaş stated that the Ministry planned to conduct the Survey on the Profile of Older Persons Türkiye for the first time in order to guide services for older persons, and said that the results of the survey would be published in March 2024.

In her speech at the Workshop for the "Survey on the Profile of Older Persons Türkiye" held at the 75th Year Nursing Home Elderly Care and Rehabilitation Center, Minister Göktaş stated that the Ministry strengthened its ties with the nation every day and tried to reach out to all segments of society.

Stating that women and men, youth and elderly, persons with disabilities, relatives of martyrs, veterans and all citizens were embraced, Göktaş continued: "We are getting stronger and growing with this unity. One of the most special bonds that makes us strong is that we continue to be inspired by our elders. The main character of the Anatolian people is that they live in unity and togetherness. Protecting family integrity is like protecting national unity. Family elders are the motherland of compassion, the place where needs are met and troubles are eliminated. Our fathers are the mountains we lean on, our mothers are the harbors that take away the fatigue of our hearts."

Emphasizing that Turkish-Islamic culture was shaped by family ties, Göktaş explained that those who were respected as "aksakallı" in ancient Turks shed light on the society with their experiences and became leaders of opinion by guiding the government.

"As a nation, we are a very large family and our family continues to expand," Göktaş said, noting that the proportion of the population aged 65 and over increased, and that the population aged 65 and over approached 10 % of the total population by 2022, and that this rate was estimated to rise to over 15 % by 2040.

Pointing out that the changes in the population structure led the Ministry to make some new arrangements, Göktaş said: "In order to maintain and develop the level of prosperity we have achieved, it is important that we make the right use of the potential of the nation. We are doing special studies to determine the current needs of the society. Thus, we aim to increase the productivity of the population and maintain the level of welfare."

The risks to be faced will be determined

Minister Göktaş stated that the Ministry planned all the studies in the light of objective data and thought that the perceptions of older persons about themselves were to be taken into account in the planning of services.

Stating that the Ministry observed the relationship that older persons established with society changed over time, Göktaş continued as follows:

"In order to support the social participation of older persons, we also include in the survey what ageing means from the point of view of society. We believe that subjective and social indicators are gaining importance as well as objective data in order to improve the service quality in the age we live in. In order to plan these services in the most comprehensive way, we aim to establish a system providing up-to-date and multi-directional data flow. In line with these goals, we will conduct the Survey on the Profile of Older Persons Türkiye for the first time in the country. With this system, which we will build with evidence-based data, we will focus on solving problems, but will also work to plan protective and preventive activities. We will determine the risks that older persons may face before experiencing any victimization and take the necessary measures."

 The effects of ageing on the transformation of population structure will be predicted

Minister Göktaş said, "With this survey, which we will conduct as a joint project of the Ministry and the Turkish Statistical Institute, we aim to predict the effects of ageing on the transformation of the population structure and to create social policies for older persons in the most efficient way."

In line with this goal, Göktaş stated that the Ministry would create an information pool including survey data, age and gender disaggregated, demographic and socio-economic indicators, and said, "We plan to publish the results of the survey in March 2024 and update the data every 4 years. In general, we believe that the survey will enable us to closely monitor the course of change in the structure of the population and increase the inclusiveness of social policies."

Pointing out that social services expanded continuously in the last 20 years to cover all vulnerable groups, Göktaş emphasized that they aimed for the highest level of quality while providing care to both older persons and persons with disabilities.

Minister Göktaş underlined that they had zero tolerance for the slightest abuse, negligence or wrongdoing towards the groups under their care, and noted the following:

"As is the case for all vulnerable groups, the efforts we carry out for the participation of older persons and persons with disabilities in social life are also shared with the public through the media. We focus on improving the quality of life of all segments of society, and we take care to preserve the social balance. We believe that it would be in the best interest of all people, especially those we care for, if the groups informing the public about the activities of the Ministry acted with the same care. We believe that protecting vulnerable groups and ensuring their participation in life is not only the responsibility of the Ministry, but also of the media, which is obliged to inform the public correctly."