The proposed project will develop a data system to assess the health and other characteristics of local 60 plus populations in greater detail than is currently possible. The NEED-PLUS project ("Neighborhood Estimates of Expected Demand - Planning and Utilization System") uses data from the National Health and Retirement Survey (HRS) and ties them to a unique segmentation system that classifies the nation's older population. This geodemographic approach enables the creation of innovative local area estimates of need, with no risk to confidentiality. A proprietary, easy-to-use, Internet-based system will make these data available to a broad audience in the form of reports, charts, maps, spreadsheets, and GIS output. A subset of the HRS data will be incorporated into a system that generates profiles of a given area's health, retirement, and other age-related characteristics, using a methodology that protects HRS respondent identity. Following an assessment of a variety of methods for deriving local area estimates from the HRS data, the system will produce preliminary samples of localized reports on the older population, including key characteristics and descriptions of their needs. Input from experts and potential users will help create a data delivery system that allows users to define an area and select their own reports. A plan to market the product to a broader range of potential users will also be developed. Having more detailed information about a locality's older population will help service providers assess the need for different types of housing and enable them to offer the best mix of home and community-based services, health services, and other assistance. It could also provide insight into the spatial aspects of disparities in health status, health conditions, and access to care. Anyone who plans services for an aging population and who must account for an aging community's shifts in resource consumption and availability could benefit from NEED-PLUS. Understanding individual communities and how they change with age is an essential aspect of keeping those communities healthy. Creation of NEED-PLUS will make useful, age-specific data more broadly available and will provide improved care and better lives for the elderly
