Measurement of the Intelligence Level of Elderly Care Institutions: Theory and Demonstration

Abstract

Background With the increasing aging of China, the exploring of smart elderly care institutions development has become a research focus in the field of elderly care at home and abroad. Objective To establish an evaluation model for the intelligence level of elderly care institutions, and provide theoretical reference and basis for research work in related fields. Methods A smart evaluation index system for the intelligence level of elderly care institutions containing a total of 37 three-level indicators was constructed based on literature analysis and descriptive statistics; hierarchical clustering analysis was performed based on the variable data of each evaluation index to obtain a cluster pedigree; the hierarchical clustering method was proposed, and 43 top-end elderly care institutions in Shanghai were selected for empirical analysis of hierarchical clustering based on the "elbow method". Results Top-end elderly care institutions in Shanghai can be divided into three categories of smart, semi-smart and non-smart; more than 60% of the elderly care institutions are non-smart; more than 70% of the elderly care institutions do not have comprehensive intelligent equipment or have sound intelligent supervision system unable to provide in-depth psychological services. Conclusion The intelligent construction of elderly care institutions in Shanghai is still at a low level of development with a large upside. Finally, the endogenous and exogenous meanings of smart elderly care institutions proposed based on the literature review and empirical analysis results can provide reference for research in related fields.

Keywords

• elderly care institutions|intelligent pension|evaluation system|hierarchical clustering