The real estate crisis also extended to nursing homes
The housing crisis, which began following the collapse of dormitory and housing rents across the country, has recently deepened to include retirees and seniors living in private nursing homes.
High rent prices, which forced most citizens trying to survive on their pensions to migrate from metropolitan cities to rural Anatolia, have now condemned retirees to nursing homes.
According to Ekrem Azaklı, President of the Association of Private Nursing Homes, Recreation and Nursing Homes (HUZDER), as reported by sozcu.com.tr, following the increase in rental prices there is an intense increase in applications for nursing homes. state-owned elderly.
Speaking to Sozcu.com.tr, President of the Council Association on Aging (TÜRYAK), Fügen Mavi, said that those staying in private nursing homes began to apply for places in state nursing homes due to the increase in prices.
This has further increased waiting times for applicants at state nursing homes, where people queue for months due to lack of numbers.
THE NUMBER OF NURSING HOMES IS NOT ENOUGH FOR EVEN 1 PERCENT OF THE ELDERLY POPULATION
Officials who spoke to sozcu.com.tr in 2021, when the housing crisis began, explained that state institutions take their turn only in case of death. Meanwhile, there has not been sufficient improvement in the number of state care homes to meet demand.
According to data from the Turkish Statistical Institute (TUIK), the population over 65 years of age in the country was 8.2 million people in 2021 and increased to 8.4 million in 2022. While this age range constitutes the 9th, 7 percent of the total population, this rate increased to 9.9 percent.
According to current data from the Ministry of Family and Social Services, there are only 164 nursing homes affiliated with the ministry. These 164 nursing homes have a total capacity of 17,064 people and can only care for 12,800 people.
In addition to the Ministry, 20 nursing homes belonging to other public institutions have a capacity for 2,889 people. A total of 1,735 seniors are cared for here.
In total, services are provided to a total of 26,02 people, 14,535 in state nursing homes and 11,467 in private nursing homes.
INCREASES THE NUMBER OF PEOPLE WAITING IN THE QUEUE
Although the Ministry intends to commission 18 new nursing homes with a capacity of 1,720 and 5 renovated nursing homes with a capacity of 600 and 23 nursing homes with a total capacity of 2,320 by the end of this year, both the number The existing nursing homes and the new ones to be built in total are not enough to meet the demand of the elderly population, which continues to increase.
The number of public nursing homes, which are not enough for current demand, has caused a further increase in demand due to the growing housing crisis, thus increasing the number of people queuing.
TÜRYAK President Fügen Mavi summarizes this situation with the following words: “There is such a long queue… I have dedicated 45 years to this profession. I looked at the system abroad, country by country, but in Turkey we couldn’t move even one step forward. I’m retired now. Even if I wanted to go to a nursing home, I don’t have the opportunity to settle in. “The numbers are few, the lines are many.”
THE MONTHLY RATE OF PRIVATE NURSING HOMES IS 52 THOUSAND TL
HUZDER President Ekrem Azaklı reported that the monthly fee of a private nursing home, which last year was 35,000 Turkish Liras, this year increased to 52,000 Turkish Liras, and that this fee also includes accommodation, food and drinks, cleaning and medical fees; He said the price increase was due to rising costs.
Azaklı stated that private nursing homes are in demand because of the elderly, who mostly undergo surgery and have to urgently settle in a nursing home due to their need for care, and stated that there is no problem to do queue in private homes. It is also effective in this demand.
PRIVATE THOSE ARE ALSO A VICTIM OF RENT: THERE ARE THEY CLOSED
However, Azaklı stated that both companies and citizens are affected by the increase in costs; He said that although new nursing homes have opened recently, many of them have also closed due to rising costs.
Azaklı, who reported that this business will be closed due to the increase in the rent requested for a private nursing home building in Istanbul from 250 thousand TL to 750 thousand TL, said: “Every item that increases in daily life negatively affects the Nursing. homes. Therefore, although it is criticized as “monthly salaries are too high”, companies also have to increase their salaries based on the increase in their costs. “There are private nursing homes that could not withstand the increase in costs and closed or were moved,” he said.