Needs and aging experiences of asylum seekers over the age of 60 in Turkey

This study analyzes pre-migration and post-migration experiences, problems and needs of elderly asylum seekers who have migrated to Turkey and the capacity of the welfare systems in Turkey to meet the problems and needs of these people. The research is a descriptive analysis study with in-depth interviews. As a method of data acquisition a structured interview form prepared by the research is used. The findings have been interpreted by using the researcher's observations during the interviews and the findings of other studies on the subject. The participants of the study are elderly people over the age of 60 who have migrated to Turkey from different countries of origin, consisting of 10 women and 6 men. The reason for the selection of asylum seekers from different origins in the research is to evaluate the migration phenomenon in terms of elderly people from different countries and to gain a broad perspective on the broad subject. As the research findings, all of the participants experienced housing problems and economic inadequacy after migration, and accordingly, all of them were dependent on their children and other family members; it has been observed that some participants have health problems after the migration process, and all of them develop different strategies for integration and adaptation in the critical phase of migration. Regardless of the level of Turkish proficiency, it has been observed that elderly asylum seekers try to overcome their language proficiency and problems through their children, grandchildren and relatives. Depending on the traumatic experience of migration, the future plans, life satisfaction and evaluations of the elderly change. The future plans of the asylum seekers are to live with their family members, reunite with their other family members and stay in Turkey. When the findings were evaluated, it was seen that the participants had problems in accessing welfare services and the existing welfare services in Turkey were insufficient to meet the needs of the older refugees.