This study has been carried out in three nursing homes in Ankara, Turkey, in order to find out older people’s needs and preferences for outdoor environments. As people age, their needs and preferences might differ, therefore it is needed to determine their requirements and expectations from an environment to be able to create satisfactory environments.  Research findings show that older people enjoy having nature views and natural settings and need for social interaction motivates them to use outdoor environments. It has been suggested that creating outdoor environments which would serve the needs of and specifically designed for elderly would help improving quality of life of older people.

Key words: Elderly, nursing homes, outdoor environments, health.