Abstract:

Health is a basic human right of everyone without any discrimination. Among the aging world population, the elderly are one of the vulnerable groups in terms of inequalities. The proportion of the elderly population in the world was 1 billion in 2019 and this number is expected to increase to 1.4 billion in 2030 and 2.1 billion in 2050. Demographic transformation and the increase in the elderly population bring chronic diseases, increase health expenditures, and decrease the self-efficacy and quality of life of the elderly. The increase in care needs, the change in family structure, and nursing homes exceed the capacity of nursing homes. Therefore, it is necessary for the elderly, who are a vulnerable group, to receive qualified and equitable care and to be isolated from the negative effects of health inequalities. As a matter of fact, inequalities in health cause an increase in morbidity and mortality in the elderly, as well as negatively affecting the quality of life of the elderly. The inequalities seen in older ages are not accidental, but a significant part of them is caused by the physical and social environments of people and the effects of these environments on their health behaviors, leading to cumulative inequalities with the effect of personal characteristics such as the environment, the family they were born into, gender and ethnicity. The inequalities that the elderly are exposed to have increased their impact especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. The elderly are not only isolated, but also socially limited, and their mental problems have increased. The increase in non-communicable diseases with the increasing elderly population has given a dominant role to the provision of health and social services for the elderly. For this reason, there is a need for comprehensive, primary care supported elderly health policies in order to protect and improve the health of the elderly. Appropriate living spaces should be created by considering the elderly, the effects of class differences in society should be eliminated, the social state structure should be strengthened Keywords: old age, inequalities in health, elderly health problems

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