Abstract:

This study was carried out to reveal the general profile of the elderly (65 years and over) living in rest homes in Turkey. The population of this descriptive study is elderly people over 65 years old living in rest homes in Turkey. The data were collected through face-to-face interviews with a total of 429 people living in 35 rest homes in 6 regions, 19 provinces in Turkey, between 10.10.2016 and 10.10.2019. 9 questions about socio-demographic characteristics of the elderly living in rest homes 5 questions were asked about their expectations from life, their concerns in life, whether they want to stay in a rest home, their wishes for home care, and their expectations from the state. The data were evaluated by calculating frequencies and percentages and making analyzes using the SPSS statistical program. In the research findings, the majority of the elderly (age range 65-74) were in the "young old" group, primary school graduates (28.9%), male (60%), have social security (81.1%), “widow/ wife was dead” (63.6%) and it was determined that the participants had at least “1-2” children (38.9%). It was determined that the income levels of the participants were not sufficient. The participants' expectations from life were "health and peace" in the first place, and not in need of care in the second place. It was determined that the participants' concerns in life were being in need of care, loneliness and death anxiety, respectively. It was determined that the majority of the participants (78.1%) wanted to stay in a rest home, however, those who wanted to benefit from home care services (58.5%) were not few. The participants stated their expectations from the state primarily as a salary increase, then as a residence for the elderly and social housing, respectively.

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