Searching for the key to healthy life in Nazilli
Güncelleme Tarihi:
Anatolia News Agency
Oluşturulma Tarihi: Mayıs 14, 2009 00:00
BODRUM - A group of scientists from Akdeniz University starts research in Nazilli, where the elderly population lives longer than the European average. Twenty-three out of 100 people are above 60 years of age in the western town, which looks to invest in this healthy image
The Akdeniz University Gerontology Division is establishing a research center in Aydın’s district of Nazilli, where the elderly population lives longer than the European average, the Anatolia news agency reported.
In the town of Nazilli, 23 out of every 100 people are above 60 years of age; the total population of 145,963 includes 161 healthy citizens over the age of 90.
The Akdeniz University hopes studying the district’s population will reveal some of the secrets to a long life. Researchers say the studies should provide results within a year.
Caner Yıldız, the local administrator of Nazilli, told the Anatolia news agency that the results of the research would be published in international science magazines and featured in science papers. "I guess lots of people from other parts of the world will demand to settle here very soon, because everybody values youth and a long life," he said.
According to Yıldız, the longevity rate in Nazilli, which he calls "a center for long life," is high above the Turkish average and the town has already achieved the lifespan goals the country has set for the next 20 to 25 years. The local administrator said the elderly citizens of Nazilli are active and self-sufficient people.
High hopes
Yıldız envisions Nazilli becoming the second biggest city in the Aegean region, after İzmir, by 2023, the 100th anniversary of the Turkish Republic. The town’s future plans include separating the faculties and academies of Adnan Menderes University in nearby Aydın and forming a new school, Sümer (Sumerian) University. A draft law is being prepared regarding that matter, said Yıldız, who added that having an university would be very important to balance the town’s elderly population with young people.
Nazilli wants to invest in the long life image, and since 40 percent of Turkey’s geothermal resources are located in the area, Nazilli also has plans to build a "Thermocity."
The town is collaborating with the Mining Exploration Institute, or MTA, to dig new wells. Yıldız said geothermal-powered health institutions and hotels would be built in Nazilli, along with a 500-bed physical-therapy hospital planned by the Ministry of Health.
Greenhouse facilities
In terms of agriculture, Nazilli is anticipating growth in large greenhouse facilities, and plans to build an organized greenhouse zone on an area of more than 500 acres. Noting that the town’s population is expected to double in five to six years, Yıldız said that Nazilli will accommodate this growth by redesigning its squares and building a light-rail system. Schools will be moved from the city to their own campus, for which a location has already been recommended to the Ministry of Education.
Currently, Turkey’s only district-based conservatory high school is in Nazilli, and Adnan Menderes University is trying to build an additional one.
In the town of Nazilli, 23 out of every 100 people are above 60 years of age; the total population of 145,963 includes 161 healthy citizens over the age of 90.
The Akdeniz University hopes studying the district’s population will reveal some of the secrets to a long life. Researchers say the studies should provide results within a year.
Caner Yıldız, the local administrator of Nazilli, told the Anatolia news agency that the results of the research would be published in international science magazines and featured in science papers. "I guess lots of people from other parts of the world will demand to settle here very soon, because everybody values youth and a long life," he said.
According to Yıldız, the longevity rate in Nazilli, which he calls "a center for long life," is high above the Turkish average and the town has already achieved the lifespan goals the country has set for the next 20 to 25 years. The local administrator said the elderly citizens of Nazilli are active and self-sufficient people.
High hopes
Yıldız envisions Nazilli becoming the second biggest city in the Aegean region, after İzmir, by 2023, the 100th anniversary of the Turkish Republic. The town’s future plans include separating the faculties and academies of Adnan Menderes University in nearby Aydın and forming a new school, Sümer (Sumerian) University. A draft law is being prepared regarding that matter, said Yıldız, who added that having an university would be very important to balance the town’s elderly population with young people.
Nazilli wants to invest in the long life image, and since 40 percent of Turkey’s geothermal resources are located in the area, Nazilli also has plans to build a "Thermocity."
The town is collaborating with the Mining Exploration Institute, or MTA, to dig new wells. Yıldız said geothermal-powered health institutions and hotels would be built in Nazilli, along with a 500-bed physical-therapy hospital planned by the Ministry of Health.
Greenhouse facilities
In terms of agriculture, Nazilli is anticipating growth in large greenhouse facilities, and plans to build an organized greenhouse zone on an area of more than 500 acres. Noting that the town’s population is expected to double in five to six years, Yıldız said that Nazilli will accommodate this growth by redesigning its squares and building a light-rail system. Schools will be moved from the city to their own campus, for which a location has already been recommended to the Ministry of Education.
Currently, Turkey’s only district-based conservatory high school is in Nazilli, and Adnan Menderes University is trying to build an additional one.