Abstract

In Turkey, traditionally, considerable respect and importance is given to the elderly within the family. However, as a result of the social and societal changes caused by industrialisation and urbanisation, it was inevitable that the interaction and values between generations would also change. From this perspective, in order to draw any conclusions regarding old age, it is crucial to identify the perception of old age and the elderly from people in different age groups, thus acquiring more information on old age. This study was thus planned and conducted with the aim of identifying the views on old age held by women of various ages and educational levels. In line with the study results, we make feasible suggestions to individuals and to families for the achievement of a more successful approach to, and experience of, old age. The study was conducted on 1500 women selected with the systematic sampling method from the records of the Demetevler Healthcare Centre in Ankara. Data evaluation was conducted on the SPSS win software package using chi-square (x2) analysis. Analysing the responses, according to the age groups of the participants, the views on who should be responsible for the care of the elderly person when a health problem occurs or when general care is needed in old age, those who stated that the “male child” should be responsible for the care of the elderly were more prominent in all age groups except in the 15-29 age group. Female university graduates in the 15-29 age group primarily agreed with the view that “the elderly person should be cared for by home care services in their own home environment”.