Use of Cluster Analysis in Social Service Planning: A Case Study of Laguna Pueblo Elders

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Abstract
This article addresses the problem ofhow to translate research based upon a needs assessment into policy and program recommendations. Using data collected among a group of Native American elders, this study promotes the value of a cluster analysis in categorizing the needs of different service subpopulations. Results establish the existence of a large, relatively independent subpopulation that desires services that reduce isolation, and a second, smaller group in need of an array of personal services designed to assist them with routine activities of daily living. These findings reveal that the results produced by this procedure are consistent with gerontological knowledge about the bases of differentiation and heterogeneity within the older population.

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