The purposes of this study were to describe space and time use by homeless elderly people and to examine the relationships among their health, space use, and time use. Hagerstrand's space-time geography, Nysteun's concepts of space, and Rifkin's concepts of time served as the organizing framework. Health status was suggested as a constraint to space and time use.
The sample was 74 individuals with no stable residence who were 50 years of age or older. In face-to-face interviews, subjects were asked to recall their activities for the previous 24-hour period. Specifically, they were asked to report the location, time, and purpose of each activity. Health status measures included general health status, functional health status, and symptom status. Space use was measured as the distance traveled in the 24-hour period. Time use was measured by number of relocations and activity hours in the 24-hour period.
A three dimensional graphic representation of the day's activities was developed. The resulting day-paths were categorized based upon their distinguishing characteristics. Nine categories were developed: Passing Time, Seeking Health Care, Drinking, Traveling, Looking for Work, Collecting Cans, Selling Plasma, Shift Work, and Restricted.
Functional health was positively correlated with distance traveled (r =.27, p =.02), relocations (r =.24, p =.04), and activity hours (r =.23, p =.05). General health status and distance traveled (r =.27, p =.02) were significantly correlated. All of the health measures were moderately correlated with each other. The three space use and time use measures were uncorrelated with each other.
The day-paths for the homeless can be useful as a description of activities the homeless elderly engage in, as a description of their environment, and as an indication of the interaction of the homeless with their environment and the larger society. The relationships between health, space use, and time use provided tentative support for health as a capability constraint. Recommendations and implications for nursing research and practice were presented.
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