Derya YANIK, Minister of Family and Social Services, said, "The aim of the Project for the Improvement of Day and Home Care Services for the Elderly (YAGEP) is to increase the sustainability and efficiency of social and health care systems for the elderly by focusing on quality home care and day care services, and to increase the institutionalization of central and local institutions. It is to support active aging by increasing its capacity”.

The "Improvement of Day and Home Care Services for the Elderly" Project (YAGEP) will be implemented by the Ministry of Family and Social Services in order to improve the service quality of central and local institutions operating in the field of elderly services.

In this context, Minister of Family and Social Services Derya YANIK, who made a statement about YAGEP, said that quality and sustainable service for the elderly is among their priority policies.

Pointing out that the elderly population has increased due to the prolongation of the average life expectancy in Turkey, Minister YANIK stated that the "Project for the Improvement of Day and Home Care Services for the Elderly" is one of the new studies carried out in this field.

Minister YANIK stating "With YAGEP, we want to support and develop home care and daytime services for the elderly in our country." said that with the project, it is planned to develop an integrated elderly care model specific to Turkey and of a regional quality.

Stating that the project aims for an "active and independent life" for the elderly, Minister YANIK said, "The aim of the project is to increase the sustainability and efficiency of social and health care systems for the elderly by focusing on quality home care and day care services, and to support active aging by increasing the institutional capacity of central and local institutions. With the project, we aim to improve the service quality of central and local institutions operating in the field of elderly services by focusing on home care and day care".

"The project will start in 10 provinces in the first place"

Derya YANIK, Minister of Family and Social Services, noted that the first reports were made for YAGEP, which will be financed by the EU and Turkey, and said, "After the completion of the technical preparations, the project, which is aimed to be implemented in early 2022, is the first 6 months of the implementation process of the Elderly Care Model (YBM) and reports. It is envisaged to prepare and research, and to conduct trainings and pilot applications in 10 provinces in the next 2 years”.

Minister YANIK stated that the pilot implementation of the project will be carried out in Sinop, Trabzon, Ankara, Çanakkale, İzmir, Muğla, Antalya, Gaziantep, Sakarya and Malatya, and then it will be spread throughout the country, and that the provinces where the project will be implemented, the proportion of elderly population, regional distribution, day care institutions Minister YANIK explained that the project was determined according to the existence criteria, and noted that the direct target groups and stakeholders of the project are the Ministry of Family and Social Services, as well as the Ministry of Health, municipalities, NGOs, the elderly and their families.

Derya YANIK, Minister of Family and Social Services, said the following regarding the Elderly Care Model to be developed within the scope of the project:

"Consultation meetings will be held with stakeholders within the scope of focus group meetings in the preparation of our Elderly Care Model. Within the framework of the pilot implementation of YBM, action plans will be prepared for each elderly care centre, studies will be conducted on elderly individuals who need home care and day care services. Home visits will be planned, the service delivery process will be monitored and evaluated, and study visits will be organized to three different EU member states and reporting studies will be carried out.

On the other hand, training needs will be analysed to decide on training needs for aged care staff. Capacity building trainings will be held for the Ministry of Family and Social Services, the Ministry of Health, municipalities, universities and non-governmental organizations.

Trainer trainings will be organized for the provincial directorates of our Ministry, the Ministry of Health, and municipality stakeholders working in the field of elderly care. Informative booklets for the elderly will be prepared. A communication strategy will be prepared to improve the dialogue between all relevant public and private sector actors in the field of aged care. An international conference will be held with awareness raising, social and cultural activities

"A permanent structure will be created for elderly services"

Minister YANIK stated that within the scope of the project, research will be carried out on the care economy and that reports will be prepared on the human resources capacity, care cooperatives and private caregivers in Turkey's elderly care.

Minister YANIK stated that two summits on elderly policies will be held, local steering committee meetings will be held, the weaknesses and strengths of elderly care services will be realized and analyses will be made on the risks and threats that may arise, adding, "Based on the results of the field research, joint work meetings and projections, we "A regional, viable, integrated elderly care model will be developed. A permanent structure will be established for elderly services. The project will be limited to 10 pilot provinces, but the outputs will be an exemplary and new system for the rest of the service providers, so we will reflect the results to other provinces." said.

Derya YANIK, Minister of Family and Social Services, noted that with the implementation of YAGEP, effective coordination and cooperation will be ensured among all relevant stakeholders regarding home care and daytime services for the elderly.