elderly populations are likely to be particularly vulnerable to changes in access to hospital and physician care with the current hospital reforms as they are likely to be less able to travel and have more regular health needs and hospital visits efforts to identify unmet needs of the elderly population should be made including efforts to consider mental and physical wellbeing of elderly populations both in the community and in residential caresettings good health care in nursing homes and longtermcare settings is a further dimension of equity in health care access that should be considered by municipalities