Abstract:

The increase in the proportion of the elderly population in the society can be easily noted as an important change that humanity has faced with industrialization and urbanization. This situation can also be expressed as a process that is on the agenda of world societies, especially in Europe, and in Turkey. Along with the definitions of ageing and ageing experiences are also different from each other. What is the effect of geographical space and location on ageing? To find an answer to this research question, semi-structured surveys were conducted face-to-face with 101 people in the town of Bahadın in Sorgun district of Yozgat. Some of the participants (15) stay in the Bahadın Ageing Foundation Center, which was established in this town in 2019. Although 18 people stay at home, they receive services from this centre (such as cleaning the house, burning the stove, cooking) and the remaining 68 people do not have direct contact with this foundation even though they live in the same town. The obtained data were analyzed systematically using the SPSS26 program. Although the elderly residents of the rural town of Bahadın note some limitations such as access to health services, they are generally satisfied with the area they live in and do not consider an alternative place to continue the rest of their lives. In addition, it has been determined that Bahadın Ageing Foundation, which was established with a civil initiative, made positive contributions to the function and meaning of the space and location for the elderly people. This foundation, which currently serves a limited number of people, potentially offers an alternative option for the old age stages of the residents, as is often seen in cities. From the perspective of ageing, this situation becomes meaningful in terms of being functional while reducing space and location-based limitations.

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