MENTEŞE MUNICIPALITY ORGANIZED AN ECOLOGICAL GERONTOLOGY AND AGING EVENT

Gerçek Fethiye / December 12, 2025

To read the news: https://www.gercekfethiye.com.tr

Haber Türk / December 12, 2025

To read the news: https://www.haberturk.com.tr

Devrim Gazetesi / December 12, 2025

To read the news: https://www.mugladevrim.com.tr

Menteşe Municipality took an important step towards creating an 'elderly-friendly and sustainable city' by hosting the Ecological Gerontology and Aging Event. Held at the Türkan Saylan Contemporary Life Center, the event addressed the aging process and the adaptation of urban life to this process from a multi-dimensional perspective.

The event, attended by numerous experts, examined the issues of aging and urban life from different disciplines. The event included a presentation on Applied Gerontology Approaches by Dr. Presentations were given by Özlem Özgür, Esra Çiçek, and Murat Esentürk on Dementia Diseases and Healthy Nutrition; Dr. Melih Vural on Lifelong Law and Elderly Rights; Lawyer Demir Durak on the Role of Local Governments in Gerontology; Prof. Dr. İsmail Tufan on the "We Are Sprouting Together: Planting Event"; Agricultural Engineer Necla Dal on Movement and Stretching Workshop; and Instructor Melisa Yıldırım on the Role of Local Governments in Gerontology.

Speaking at the event, Menteşe Mayor Gonca Köksal Aras drew attention to the aging process, an inevitable part of the life cycle, and the responsibilities of city administrations.

Mayor Köksal Aras began her speech by saying, "We are all born as babies. Then we become adults, and then we grow old. This life cycle applies to all of us."

Referring to the efforts made to make Menteşe a more livable and inclusive city, Köksal Aras provided information about the recently completed Workshop on the Settlement Action Plan, stating, "As city administrators, we need to consider all stages of this life cycle and determine our programs, plans, projects, and roadmaps accordingly. A disabled person, a pregnant woman, an elderly individual, and a child in the city should all benefit from the city's resources, and our duty is to increase their accessibility."

Köksal Aras noted that the workshop brought together women, people with disabilities, representatives from public institutions and the municipality, and people from all walks of life, from rural women to students, at each table, and that the resulting report forms the municipality's roadmap.

Mayor Köksal Aras, emphasizing the fact that Turkey's, and especially Muğla's, population is aging, stated that the population has significantly aged, particularly due to the elderly who settled in Muğla during the pandemic. He said, "Our population is aging. Muğla's population is aging even more. In a very short time, one-fifth of our population will be elderly. This is a reality we face."

Mayor Köksal Aras also stated that the spatial arrangements they have implemented as a municipality serve not only a specific segment but the entire community. He noted that the disabled access ramps make life easier for everyone, from pregnant women to parents carrying strollers.

Announcing a change in approach to facilities for the elderly, Köksal Aras said, “We decided to change the concepts of 'nursing home' and 'retirement home.' We called the newly opened facilities 'Life Homes.' We opened the Hasan Özcan Life Home in a very short time. The goal of these facilities is not just to spend the last years of life idly, but to spend them productively, creating art and ideas.”

Köksal Aras added that the Life Homes that have been opened and whose foundations have been laid are not just dormitories and dining halls, but also have many functions such as a cafeteria, meeting room, art studio, library, technology room, hairdresser, dietitian, and psychologist.

At the end of his speech, Köksal Aras also touched upon interaction with nature and ecology, stating that such events increase awareness about aging and thanked the participants and everyone involved.