From Nursing Home to the Living Center: Elderly Care in Samsun and a Foresight for the Future Architecture

Abstract

Nursing homes in Turkey are one of the places where the seniors try to live their life peacefully as getting older. A healthy life is not only the elimination of physical needs at the maximum level but also the ability to maintain spiritual, social and other beings at the highest level. Many factors such as social and cultural habits, economic conditions, nutrition are influential in keeping a healthy life. The study aims to evaluate nursing homes in Samsun Province and to propose an “Elderly Living Center” as a new alternative to the institutional care models like nursing homes by analyzing the perspective of elderly care in Turkey. Accordingly, an analysis was carried out on the places to be in an “Elderly Living Center” and how the relations should be realized in between. Researches on the subject and current situation of nursing homes in Turkey and especially in Samsun province were examined. The results of 19 Mayıs University, Faculty of Architecture, Department of Interior Architecture, 2017-2018 Spring Semester Graduation Project were also analyzed. In doing so, an assessment was made on the recommendation of the “Elderly Living Center.” One of the significant outcomes of the study showed that the design understanding in areas where seniors will be able to live healthier seems to change from nursing home to the life center. © 2019 Published by ISRES.