The future of private elderly homes in Hong Kong : an ecological analysis
Copyright © 1993 Hong Kong Association of Gerontology
Abstract
During the past decade, the number of private elderly homes in Hong Kong increased substantially but the quality of services provided by these facilities was not subject to control. Because the quality varies so much, the Hong Kong Government is in the process of formulating a legislation to regulate the standard of these homes through licensing. A recent investigation found that over 97% of existing homes do not meet: even a downward adjusted standard. The licensure scheme will therefore have ai major impact on the future operation of these facilities in particular and on the caring system for elderly people in general. Using an ecological analysis, this article argues that the proposed legislation ignores the historical context under which these homes developed and prospered and that it is naive to think that the legislation will achieve its purpose of upgrading the standard of private-sector residential services for elderly people.