HOW ELDERLY PEOPLE RANK-ORDER THE QUALITY CHARACTERISTICS OF HOME SERVICES

Various studies have dealt more or less directly with qualitative ques tions concerning social services provided in the home. While as a resu lt of such studies the general characteristics of home services of imp ortance to elderly people are quite well known, this is not the case r egarding the relative importance assigned to such characteristics. Per sonal interviews using the (Multiattribute Utility Technology) (MAUT) were used. This procedure organises the attributes in a (tree) structu re for comparing the relative importance & ranking of different dualit y attributes. A random sample of 180 receivers of home-help services a ged 65 to 95 and living in a rural, small town and city area were inte rviewed. The interviewed persons were asked to rank-order according to personal importance each grouping of quality attributes. The relative values of the different qualities were determined, using a scale with a range from 0 to 100 points. Continuity, especially Staff Continuity , was the most important quality attribute together with Suitability a nd Personal Relation. Availability and Influence were the least import ant quality attributes. The characteristics studied had largely the sa me relative importance for all older people, irrespective of category.