First Lady Emine Erdoğan highlighted the importance of the elderly to lead and guide the society with their experience and wisdom, as she attended an event with them in Istanbul’s Bağcılar district on Friday.

"Our elderly narrate wisdom extracted from hundreds of years of experience," the first lady said, adding that their words are respected and their experience and cumulation of knowledge "illimunate our road."

Erdoğan was at the "Vefahane" senior’s complex in Istanbul, which serves around 2,000 elderly citizens, offering a wide range of services, including physiotherapy, exercise, handcrafts, art workshops, music workshops, library, hobby workshops and more, allowing them to socialize.

Saying that the complex helps the seniors socialize and become an active part of every day life, Emine Erdoğan said they transfer the cultural recollection of the past, in a time when people’s ties with the past are weakened.

She noted that intergenerational communication is significant to protect the society and strengthen the bonds of adults and children.