Experiences of individuals over 65 years old living in Hatay province regarding "Active" and "Successful" aging processes

The increasing elderly population in the world and the increasing proportion of individuals over the age of 65 in the total population have led to the emergence of different problems and expectations, necessitating both academic and social policy studies on the subject. While on the one hand, the individualisation and medicalisation of normal life processes and cycles are discussed with neoliberal policies, on the other hand, the importance of social, economic and political processes caused by these processes is also being discussed. The discourse of a 'quality', 'successful', 'active', 'fit', 'happy' life, which encompasses all areas of life, is important in all age groups, but has a significant impact on the lives of older individuals. In this context, this study, taking into account the importance and actuality of the issue in question, deals with the problems, current debates on the aging process and the discourse of 'quality' and 'successful' aging, which has been discussed in the literature in recent years. In this context, the thesis focuses on the subjective experiences of women and men over the age of 65 living in Hatay province by addressing the processes and problems related to aging and old age, which is one of the natural life cycles in the focus of all these discussions, with a focus on the concepts of successful and active aging. Without ignoring that the applicability, observability and effects of the discourses of successful, active and quality life are controversial, the study will try to understand the relationships they establish with the social world on a descriptive basis, starting directly from the world of meaning and self-definitions of individuals. How older individuals age, how they define it, and what their narratives about physical, psychological and social relations are will be discussed on this basis. It aims to reveal what are the problems, expectations and experiences of individuals about aging in their own discourses through a qualitative analysis. In this context, the sample group of the study consists of 41 individuals over the age of 65 living in Hatay province. The data obtained through a semi-structured interview form were interpreted thematically and descriptively. Key words: Elderly, Elderly Health, Quality of Life, Active and Successful Ageing