The role of non-governmental organizations in social policy practices for the elderly: A study on associations operating in Ankara

Population aging is a transformation that the whole world is experiencing today. The increase in the share of the elderly population in total population has resulted in the elderly being considered as a special group. Thus, aging has become one of the current issues of social policy. As a disadvantaged group, the view that the problems of elderly individuals concern only those who take responsibility for the elderly individual is far behind. As social policy actors, non-governmental organizations play an important role in determining the needs of elderly people and solving their problems. The main purpose of this study is to determine the role of non-governmental organizations as a social policy actor in the social policies applied to the elderly as a disadvantaged group in Turkey, in the province of Ankara. In this context, interviews were held with the representatives of the associations operating for the elderly in Ankara, and the data were analyzed by content analysis method.