'Seniors' curfew aided Turkey's fight against pandemic'

Turkey has its elders to thank for abiding orders to stay home and thus making the COVID-19 pandemic manageable, the head of a seniors' advocacy group told Hürriyet Daily News.

But there is need for more cooperation and coordination among government, local administrations and civil society to make their lives easier, according to Gülüstü Salur.

There was a general conviction that Turkey's elderly typically sit around at home. We were surprised, therefore, to see that we have a very mobile elderly group. Would you concur with that observation?

Yes, in part, as the 65+ group is not a homogeneous group.

Being active depends on one's physical and mental health and personality, rather than age. A significant segment of older adults lead self-sufficient lives, which requires going out when needed.

More than 9 percent of the population is above 65, and of those, more than 1.3 million elderly people live alone.

Therefore, when you impose a curfew and tell a specific group of people to stay home, you need to introduce support systems to provide for their various needs. Determining and providing for these needs at a comprehensive and sustainable level requires coordination, cooperation and collaboration among government, local administrations and civil society.

Were you surprised that it was hard at the beginning to keep some of the elderly at home?

I don't think it was that hard. I believe the rationale behind the curfew for older adults had a few levels. First, keeping older adults at home would be a sure way to flatten the curve through social distancing and decrease demand for intensive care beds as this group was at the highest risk for severe disease.

Second, most older...