Long-term care service needs and planning for the future: a study of middle-aged and older adults in Hong Kong

Abstract

ABSTRACTLong-term care (LTC) planning is important in helping the older people tackle their future needs better. The needs for LTC services represent generational characteristics as they may be different between the current and upcoming cohorts of older adults. However, very few studies have examined the cohort differences in terms of their expected utilisation of LTC services, while understanding the patterns is crucial in helping policy makers prepare for the development of LTC services. This study fills the research gap by examining the plans and expectations for LTC services of 1,613 middle-aged and older persons in Hong Kong with data collected from a telephone survey. By applying the Andersen Model to examine LTC expectations, this study analyses the LTC needs and plans of the middle-aged and older cohorts of Hong Kong adults, as well as their associated factors, with a multiple logistic regression method. Both gender and birth cohort were examined individually and in combination. Birth cohort and gender have been found to exert an impact on all aspects of LTC needs and planning to varying degrees. The findings are interpreted and contrasted with those of a key study based in the West, with reference to the contextual characteristics of Hong Kong. This study furthers the scholarly understanding on LTC needs and planning and their cohort effect, and draws evidence-based recommendations for LTC development in Hong Kong, a rapidly ageing East Asian society.