The Kentucky elderly need assessment: concurrent validity of different measures of unmet need

The purpose was to examine the concurrent criterion-based validity of different measures used in a statewide in-home need assessment survey of a representative sample of 570 older persons. Need was measured and defined in four different ways in six problem areas. The criterion measure was a life satisfaction scale. The set of four need measures yielded a significant multiple R, indicating that the set would generally be related to life satisfaction in older persons. Individually, three of the four need measures made significant contributions. The set of six problem areas also yielded a significant multiple R, with four (Mental Health, Health, Income, Nutrition) making significant individual contributions. Implications for need assessment measurement included: that problem-focused measures are strongly and generally related to need satisfaction, whereas service-focused measures have problems; that both evaluative and descriptive measures appear to be related to need satisfaction; and the clear value of a multineed conception for measurement and for application to program planning and resource allocation. Suggestions for improvement in measures were made and cross-validation called for.