The 4th International Central Black Sea Disability and Elderly Health Congress was held in Samsun this year under the theme “Family power in rehabilitation: Aging healthily together and quality of life.”
The congress took place at Havza Municipality Cultural Center in cooperation with the Samsun Governorship, Samsun Metropolitan Municipality, Ondokuz Mayıs University (OMU) Havza Vocational School, Havza Care, Rehabilitation and Family Counseling Center, Havza Municipality, and Havza Local Action Group Association.
In his opening remarks, Prof. Dr. İlker İlhanlı, faculty member of OMU Faculty of Medicine, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and Chair of the Congress, highlighted the rarity of multidisciplinary congresses in Türkiye. He stated, “What sets us apart is not only our prioritization of disability and elderly health but also our ability to unite care, rehabilitation, social services, and health tourism under one roof.”
Provincial Director of Family and Social Services Kemal Gümrükçü emphasized that enabling elderly and disabled individuals to live independently and with dignity is a fundamental human right. He noted, “One of the main goals of our Ministry is to ensure equal participation of elderly and disabled individuals in social life and to improve their quality of life.”
Head of Samsun Metropolitan Municipality Health and Social Services Department Eyüp Çakır underlined the need to further develop and expand such congresses, saying, “We must stand by our elderly and disabled citizens. As the Metropolitan Municipality, we will continue to support everyone working in this field.”
Following the opening speeches, a session titled “Empowering families: Aging healthily together and quality of life” was held, moderated by Prof. Dr. İlker İlhanlı.
On the final day, a special session titled “Model Congress” was organized to encourage high school students’ involvement in academic processes. Students from Havza Science High School took part as speakers and session chairs, sharing their perspectives on disability and elderly health. Certificates of participation were presented to the students by Congress Chair Prof. Dr. İlker İlhanlı.
The closing day also featured presentations by academics from various universities on “Physical therapy and health tourism.”
In his closing remarks, Prof. Dr. İlhanlı thanked all stakeholders for their contributions and stated, “Our congress has been highly productive. The success of the high school students we included through the model congress made us very happy. This event, the first of its kind in Türkiye, will continue, and we plan to involve even more young participants in the next congress.”
The congress concluded after several sessions and paper presentations, bringing together scientists from eight countries and 19 universities.
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