Assessing the health care needs of the aged.

A sample survey of the health care needs of the aged population of Monroe County, New York (including the city of Rochester), living at home and in health care institutions, was carried out largely by nurses, since pretests of interview methods and questionnaires showed that the important criterion in such an assessment was the degree of care or supervision needed, rather than medical diagnosis or symptomatology. Sampling problems in a survey of the aged are discussed, as well as the correlation of physical and mental disability among the aged with demographic and socioeconomic factors. Conclusions point to the misplacement of many aged persons in facilities providing a higher and more costly level of care than required and to the need for more congregate living and home care facilities.