APPLICATION AND EVALUATION OF A MULTI-SCALE ASSESSMENT MODEL FOR ELDERLY DISABILITY

Abstract

As the aging population continues to grow, the increasing number of disabled elderly individuals poses ongoing challenges to society in terms of healthcare and medical burdens. Grading disability is of significant importance for improving medical services and allocating social resources. Traditional grading methods using a single assessment scale tend to be subjective and cannot comprehensively and accurately reflect the real situation. This paper presents the NES (Needs assessment of Elderly care in Shanghai) scale, based on 33 quantified scoring items from basic surveys, to enhance the objectivity and accuracy of disability grading. Correlation analysis of observed items using the C4.5 decision tree algorithm is conducted, followed by an analysis and evaluation of the scale’s performance. The data used in this study are derived from 266 questionnaires collected from eight regions in Shanghai and categorized into three classes: physiological (JKOM/BADL), psychological (BDI/SDS/SAS), and cognitive (CDR). The analysis results show that the NES scale exhibits better robustness in physiological assessment compared to the BADL and JKOM scales. In psychological assessment, the NES scale performs similarly to the SDS and SAS scales. In cognitive assessment, the NES scale’s grading level is slightly higher than that of the CDR scale, demonstrating good comprehensive disability assessment capabilities.