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 wherethe seniors try to live their life peacefully as getting older. A healthy lifeis not only the elimination of physical needs at the maximum level but also theability to maintain spiritual, social and other beings at the highest level.Many factors such as social and cultural habits, economic conditions, nutritionare influential in keeping a healthy life. The study aims to evaluate nursinghomes in Samsun Province and to propose an “Elderly Living Center” as a newalternative to the institutional care models like nursing homes by analyzingthe perspective of elderly care in Turkey. Accordingly, an analysis was carriedout on the places to be in an “Elderly Living Center” and how the relationsshould be realized in between. Researches on the subject and current situationof nursing homes in Turkey and especially in Samsun province were examined. Theresults of 19 Mayıs University, Faculty of Architecture, Department of InteriorArchitecture, 2017-2018 Spring Semester Graduation Project were also analyzed.In doing so, an assessment was made on the recommendation of the “ElderlyLiving Center.” One of the significant outcomes of the study showed that thedesign understanding in areas where seniors will be able to live healthierseems to change from nursing home to the life center.