Within the scope of the Elderly Week, which is annually celebrated from 18 to 24 March and which has great importance in raising awareness about the issues affecting the elderly people, the Near East University Hospital organized an event and celebrated this special event with the patients staying at the Geriatrics Service of the Hospital. During the event, which was realized under the guidance of the Near East University Hospital Head Nurse Türkan Şahin, the elderly people receiving care at the Geriatric Service had the opportunity to get out of the hospital environment and had an enjoyable time by meshing with the nature.

It is of great importance to raise awareness for the elderly focusing on shifting the emphasis from institutional care to community-based care. All activities that organized every year to celebrate the week of the older people are always aimed at keeping the life motivation of the older people high, drawing attention to their problems and raising public awareness for promoting the well-being, safety and security of the elderly. All events attach a special focus on ensuring respect for the elderly, who have experience, knowledge and wisdom that can strengthen our foundation of building a better life for all.

Head Nurse Türkan Şahin:"Our Senior Citizens are our most important assets playing a key role in carrying Our Cultural Life to tomorrows..."
Indicating that the older people have a bridging role in connecting the past to the present, Near East University Hospital Head Nurse Türkan Şahin underlined that the elderly people were our most important assets playing a key role in carrying our cultural life to tomorrows. Pointing out the necessity of an inclusive society for all, Türkan Şahin stated that the integration of the senior citizens into the society should be ensured as they had always played a significant role in society, as leaders, caretakers and custodians of tradition. "A nation's perception for the senior citizens and retirees is the most outstanding criterion of the viability of that nation. A nation with no feeling of gratitude for those, who worked with all their might when they were very mighty in the past, has no right to look the future with confidence", by making reference to this saying of the Great Leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk, Türkan Şahin underlined that the elderly should always be valued and respected.

Head Nurse Türkan Şahin: "Our Goal is to promote the Development of an Inclusive Society for all in which Our Elderly Citizens can live the life that they deserve..."
Talking about the event that organized with the aim of uplifting the morale and keeping the motivation high of the elderly patients staying at the Geriatrics Service of Near East University Hospital, the Head Nurse Türkan Şahin stated that the event provided the geriatric patients with opportunity to get out of the hospital ambiance and experience the joy of life in a different living environment in nature. “Our elderly persons, whom I think it is more appropriate to name them as older adults, are our most important assets in the life. It is important to give a hand or shoulder to them by always remembering and never forgetting this value. Therefore, it is necessary to organize a series of events within the scope of the Elderly Week between March 18-24 to draw attention to problems of our elderly citizens and to promote love and respect for them. Besides the meetings and events such as panels, conferences and symposia, it is also necessary to organize special activities oriented to the happiness and motivation of the older adults. In line with this idea, we, as Near East University Hospital, organized an event for our elderly people. In order to make our seniors staying in our geriatrics service feel happy, we chose a place where they can be intertwined with nature and can have their lunch in fun and in an enjoyable way. With this event, we aimed to make our geriatric patients forget about their problems and health disorders even for a short time. Making our patients forget their problems and health disorders to some extend even during the trip is a source of happiness for us, as Near East University Hospital. Underlining the Near East University Hospital's commitment to ensuring the well-being of the geriatric patients, the Head Nurse Türkan Şahin ended her remarks: "As Near East University Hospital, our prime concern is the well-being, good health, comfort, happiness and safety of our patients. With this in mind, we have been working with all our might and sparing no effort to ensure high quality care and health services for the elderly staying at our geriatrics service”.