Weekly Press Release of Istanbul Gelisim University (Issue 43) (March 30 - April 3, 2020) 

The definition of old age needs to be discussed! Gerontologist Sıla Ayan, who stated that the definition of the elderly is closely related to the level of development and quality of life, said: “Defining the age of 65 and over is valid for most Western societies as 60 years and over in the definition of the United Nations, 50-55 years in Africa and Sub-Saharan regions.” Gerontologist from Istanbul Gelisim University Lect. Sıla Ayan said the following: “Age restrictions that apply across Europe and Turkey are defined so: 65-74 age - early age, 75-84 – older age, 85 and over as advanced old age. In the new suggestion it is offered that people under 65 years old to be defined a young, 66 - 79 years old middle-aged, 80-99 old, 100 and older individuals are called centuries old. However, this situation has no official validity. Considering the distribution of the elderly population, 65-74 age group has 62.8%, 75-84 age range has 28.2%, 85 and over 9.1% population percentages.” You can visit www.gelisim.edu.tr to see the detailed news.