Community centers of local governments for retirees: The case of İstanbul

Abstract

The population of Turkey is aging. When local governments increase the quantity and quality of services for older people, the social welfare of older people increases as well. Among the special services for older people in the local administrations, community centers come rst. This study examines the quality and diversity of services in community centers. In addition, the contribution of these centers to the activeness of older people living in the city is examined. In 2018, a cross-sectional survey was conducted in January and February, and a questionnaire was applied to 269 participants aged 55 years and older in the districts of Istanbul; Kadıköy, Maltepe, Üsküdar, Tuzla, Beşiktaş and Şişli. Research data were analyzed with the help of the SPSS 21 (2012) program. According to the results of the analysis, 42.7% of the participants were single individuals and15.1% of the participants were living alone at home. While 63.9% of the participants stated that they do sports, 70.3% of those who do sports said that this activity was “walking”. The most of the participants (44.2%) stated that they participated in the social activi- ties of these centers. As the reason for the participants’ using the community center, 68% of the participants chose the option of meeting with their friends, 52% chose to have new friendships, 48.3% of them chose the option of eliminating their loneliness. The 65-74 age group who use the community center are doing more regular sports than the ones aged 75 and over χ2 = 6.851, p 3.30e-02. Women who use the community center do more regular sports than men χ2 = 11.423; p 1.00e-03. It could be said that the community centers are important alternative public spaces in the city, especially for older people living alone.