Abstract
<title>Abstract</title> <p> <bold>Background</bold> Population ageing has increased the prevalence of chronic diseases and the need for health-related learning among older adults. Informal learning plays an important role in helping older individuals understand disease symptoms, causes, and management strategies in daily life. However, evidence on how older adults informally learn about chronic diseases remains limited, particularly in socio-culturally diverse and under-researched settings. This study aimed to explore older adults’ informal learning experiences regarding chronic diseases, including their learning resources, approaches, and the perceived impact of these learnings on everyday life. <bold>Methods</bold> A qualitative multiple case study design was employed. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 32 adults aged 65 years and older (21 men and 11 women) living in the Central Artuklu district of Mardin, Türkiye. Participants were selected through maximum variation sampling and met the inclusion criteria of being aged 65 years or older and having at least one chronic disease. Data were collected between June and September 2019 and analysed using content and descriptive analysis. Coding focused on disease-related learning, informal learning resources, and learning approaches. <bold>Results</bold> Cardiovascular diseases and hypertension were the most common chronic conditions, followed by diabetes. Three overarching themes emerged: (1) informal learning about disease symptoms, (2) informal learning about disease causes, and (3) informal learning about coping strategies. Participants primarily learned about symptoms through lived experiences and physician consultation. Knowledge about disease causes was predominantly acquired from healthcare professionals, although some participants attributed illness to stress, sadness, ageing, or life difficulties based on personal experiences. Coping strategies were mostly learned through physician recommendations and experiential learning, while self-directed learning through television, written materials, relatives, and the internet remained limited. Lower educational attainment appeared to be associated with more limited access to and use of self-directed health information. Approximately one-third of participants reported insufficient knowledge regarding disease symptoms and causes. <bold>Conclusions</bold> Older adults rely predominantly on experiential and physician-mediated informal learning to understand and manage chronic diseases. However, important knowledge gaps persist, especially among individuals with lower educational attainment. Strengthening physician–patient communication and developing accessible, context-sensitive informal health learning opportunities may improve health literacy and chronic disease self-management among older adults. <bold>Clinical trial number:</bold> Not applicable. </p>