Health, loneliness and the ageing process in the absence of cardinal measure: Rendering intangibles tangible

Abstract

Given the strong health–ageing connection, provision of care for the aged places a significant economic burden on a society, whether it is privately or state provided. Assessment of the health care needs of the aged is problematic due to the ordered categorical nature of self-reported health status, since results based upon arbitrary attribution of cardinal measure to ordinal categories are ambiguous due to scale and weighting issues. Here scale independent methods, particularly useful in multilateral, multidimensional analysis with ordered outcomes for measurement and comparison of treatment group wellness are proposed and exemplified in a study of poor health–loneliness and ageing relationships in China. Substantial differences in health and loneliness experiences across age, gender, urban–rural, and partner status divides are revealed, highlighting the exceptional health care needs of the aged in particular areas.