An ethnographic study of abandoned and destitute older people living in a specialized centre in city of Gaziantep, Turkey

Year 2015, Volume: 6 Issue: 1, 24 - 38, 30.11.2015

Ali Rıza Can

Abstract

The increasing numbers of residential settings for older and retired people in industrial
societies offer anthropologists a remarkable opportunity to observe the aging in process. Aging
is a natural process, and it points to a different meaning in each culture and societies. This
study was able to identify a number of important factors relating to aging including a) how
God is important for elder people, b) how their social relation to each other is, c) what kind of
factors affect their social relations, and d) why the effects of social change is a key concern for
old people. I found three important key themes. The first key theme supported some
researchers’ opinions that religion plays a more important role in old age. This second theme is
also stated by other researchers, old people think that the social networks and relations were
much better in the olden days. The last theme is the social relations in old age. Some
researchers said that elder people are friendly and they like to spend time together. However, at
Gaziantep Destitute Centre, most of the participants reported that they did not like spending
time together with the other residents.

Keywords

Aging, residential care, social relations in old age

References

• Abrams M. (1976) Beyond three score and ten – A first report on a survey of the elderly. London: Age Concern.