DEFINING NEEDS, DEFINING SYSTEMS - A CRITICAL ANALYSIS

This article examines the model of need assessment commonly used in so cial service programs for older adults. Whereas this model defines nee d as an individual attribute, remediable through programmatic interven tion, an alternative formulation suggests that organizational imperati ves shape the definition of client need while obscuring their own role in the production of this information. A case study and historical an alysis assess the roots of this process and its consequences for clien ts, staff, and aging programs.