The effectiveness and elderlies’ satisfaction of the barrier free facilities in the public rental housing in Kwun Tong district

Abstract

Aging problems always be the hot issue in Hong Kong. Therefore, the importance of barrier free facilities has been raised recently. The concepts of universal design also being popular. The establishment of barrier free facilities can enhance the accessibility of the elderly. However, the effectiveness of the barrier free facilities always being the main concern from the users. The satisfaction of the users towards the barrier free facilities also being the controversial issue in the society. In this study, the researcher would like to investigate the effectiveness and elderly’s satisfaction of the barrier free facilities in the public rental housing in Kwun Tong district. The researcher has used the questionnaires, site observation and interviewed of two housing officers, to find out the effectiveness and elderly's satisfaction of the barrier free facilities in public housing estates. After conducting the analysis, the overall effectiveness of the barrier free facilities is above average. Besides, the overall satisfaction from the elderly is high as the existing provision of barrier free facilities can enhance the convenience to the elderly. Although the repairment schedule has room for improvement, many respondents agreed the existing provision of barrier free facilities are useful and the elderly thought the barrier free facilities can help them to fit into the daily life.