Personal, Social and Regulatory Factors Associated With Telecare Acceptance by Hong Kong Older Adults: An Indication of Governmental Role in Facilitating Telecare Adoption

Telecare has the potential to tackle emerging problems in public healthcare resulting from the graying of population. This study aims to investigate the personal, social and regulatory factors associated with the telecare acceptance for older adults in Hong Kong. A structured questionnaire survey was administered to 110 seniors aged 60-80 years. The results revealed that older people prefer to use the products that they are familiar with. Seniors of very poor economic status are likely to use telecare service. Family and friends support, self-satisfaction, and social relationship are critical factors which positively influence telecare usage of older adults via influencing their perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness. Regulatory factor of perceived incentives positively associates with the attitude of older people toward telecare service, and in turn facilitates telecare usage. This is the first study which stressed that public regulations, such as incentive interventions, should be emphasized in promoting telecare acceptance.