One of the most important problems in developed and developing countries is the rapidly increasing population over the age of 60. In developed countries, the decrease in birth rates and the prolongation of life expectancy at birth cause the population to age on average. This results in a proportional decrease in the working population.
The decrease in the working population results in a dramatic decrease in production as well as an increase in the cost to reimbursement institutions, in other words, social security expenses. In addition to all these, countries need a productive population in order to continue to grow economically in line with political and social expectations.
Recent studies show that in 2025, the population over the age of sixty in EU countries will exceed the population under the age of twenty. While there are four workable populations per elder today, according to estimates, this rate will fall below two in 2050. The fastest aging rate in the world population is seen in Japan and Northern European countries.
The gradual increase in the elderly population and the fact that almost all of the family members in the productive age are working for better living conditions cause the nuclear family structure to deteriorate and consequently the need for care services that cannot be provided in the family environment for aging individuals. Efforts to ensure that healthy elderly people receive professional elderly care services that provide active and ideal living environments without being distracted from their personal preferences have led to the emergence of an important sector.
In developed western countries, the costs of treatment and elderly care services are very high, and there are unbearable waiting times, especially in medical procedures that require advanced expertise. In Western countries, the elderly population is increasing rapidly, and the rate of the population over 60 years old in many countries has even exceeded the rate of the population under the age of 15. The aging population inevitably leads to the spread of chronic diseases, thus increasing the number of people in need of care. The increasing number of retirees causes the necessity of meeting the needed supportive care services in other ways because “the young working population concentrates on the industry and finance sector rather than on care services”. As a matter of fact, the inadequacy of young care staff needed for care centers called “hospice” opened in some western countries is seen as an important problem.
Developed countries are trying to reduce the costs of elderly care services. The employment of the young population, which is small, through encouraging practices in these and similar centers causes serious costs. In order to reduce the cost, methods such as narrowing the scope of insurance and increasing the contribution margin are introduced. However, today’s elderly retirees, who have served their country for years, demand both the quality health care and comprehensive care they deserve.
The demand for advanced age care and rehabilitation care services that can appeal to all ages should not be perceived as belonging only to developed countries. As a matter of fact, Middle Eastern and Central Asian countries also prefer destinations for the rehabilitation of their citizens in need. Reimbursement institutions are required to provide quality care services in line with the demands of their members. At this point, countries with relatively young populations that can provide employment in the service sector come to the fore. Today, countries such as Turkey, Hungary, Czech Republic, Thailand, Croatia are considered as candidate countries to provide care services.
