Health Care Access for Older People in Hong Kong: A Time-space Perspective

Abstract

The growing number of an aging population poses various challenges to the society. Improvements in the medical system and the transportation network help to raise the quality of life of the elderly. The present study has two purposes. Firstly, the study analyzes the travel patterns of elderly to health care facilities in Hong Kong. After an overview of the general travel patterns, this study focuses on walking as it is one of the most common modes of daily travel among older people. A micro-scale analysis is then performed to evaluate the built environment surrounding a sample study area, which is a neighborhood surrounding Kwong Wah Hospital (KWH) in Hong Kong. Through an objective assessment of walkability, which takes into account elements including pedestrian convenience, comfort and safety, this study documents the current conditions of the walking environment in affecting older person's access to health care services. The results show that the walkability index of KWH appears to be within the medium-to-high range.