First Stop: Beşiktaş Municipality 65+ Life Office
The delegation's first visit was to the Beşiktaş Municipality 65+ Life Office, which offers special services for elderly individuals. Here, the municipality's projects for the elderly, the development process of the services, and examples of success were shared. In the meeting attended by Deputy Mayor Dr. Şeref Şeker and gerontologists Meryem Ceyhan and Hatice Elif Demirbaş, applicable strategies for the project were discussed based on the municipality's experiences.
Age-Friendly Community Vision at Acıbadem University
The second stop of the program was Acıbadem University. In the meeting with Fatma Akgün, founder of Business for Aging Friendly Community (B4AFC) within the Technology Center, the creation of age-friendly communities, interdisciplinary collaborations, and current needs in the field of gerontology were evaluated. During the promotional tour of the university's scientific infrastructure, detailed information was provided to academics by Vice Dean of the Faculty of Medicine Prof. Dr. Özden Hatırnaz, Prof. Dr. Batu Erman (Immunology Lab.), Prof. Dr. Tanıl Kocagöz (R&D Lab.), and Dr. Lecturer Dilek Kitapçıoğlu (CASE Education Center).
Collaboration Opportunities with 65+ Elderly Rights Association
As part of the visit, the 65+ Elderly Rights Association was also visited. Board member Nazan Uğur and gerontologist Sıla Nur Baş provided information about awareness activities, volunteer programs, and awareness efforts in the field of elderly rights. In the meeting, the idea of developing joint projects to improve the quality of life for elderly individuals came to the forefront.
Online Meeting: Applied and Academic Gerontology Association
In the last part of the program, an online meeting was held with Kendal Murat Aktuğ, President of the Applied and Academic Gerontology Association. Here, strengthening volunteer-based participation, academic-field collaborations, and joint education projects were discussed.
In the visits attended by MAKÜ Gerontology Department Head Assoc. Prof. Dr. Sevinç Sütlü, Dr. Lecturer Ebru Akbaş, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Mehmet Öçal from the Social Work Department, Lecturer Özge Kutlu from the Elderly Care Program, and Akdeniz University Gerontology Department Head Prof. Dr. Nilüfer Korkmaz Yaylagül, collaboration opportunities with NGOs, civil initiatives, and local governments working in the field of aging were discussed.
Throughout the visits, solution proposals to improve the quality of life for elderly individuals were discussed by benefiting from the experiences of different institutions and organizations. The program was productive in terms of contributing to the project goals and laying the groundwork for future collaborations.
