conducting community needs assessments : planning for the growing older population
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Conducting Community Needs Assessments : Planning for the growing older population. Jan Mutchler, PhD, Caitlin Coyle, MS & Hayley Gravette, MSW University of Massachusetts Boston Department of Gerontology Massachusetts Council on Aging Conference 2012 October 3, 2012 Falmouth, MA. - PowerPoint PPT PresentationTRANSCRIPT
Conducting Needs Assessments | October 3, 2012
Conducting Community Needs Assessments: Planning for the growing older population
Jan Mutchler, PhD, Caitlin Coyle, MS & Hayley Gravette, MSW
University of Massachusetts BostonDepartment of Gerontology
Massachusetts Council on Aging Conference 2012October 3, 2012 Falmouth, MA
Conducting Needs Assessments | October 3, 2012
Outline of today’s presentation:
▸ What is a needs assessment?
▸ How can a needs assessment be helpful to a Council on Aging?
▸ Components of a needs assessment
▸ Working with a research partner
Conducting Needs Assessments | October 3, 2012
What is a needs assessment?▸ “a systematic set of procedures undertaken for the
purpose of setting priorities and making decisions about program or organizational improvement and allocation of resources” –Witkin and Altschuld, 1995
▸ Three basic components:▸ Pre-assessment▸ Assessment▸ Post-assessment
▸ Keep the goal in mind
▸ No absolutes
Conducting Needs Assessments | October 3, 2012
How can a needs assessment be helpful to a Council on Aging?
▸ Provide backdrop for planning
▸ Achieve internal goals
▸ Achieve external goals
Conducting Needs Assessments | October 3, 2012
Pre-assessment: planning
▸ Understand WHY you are conducting a needs assessment
▸ Broad and informative▸ Targeted to a specific goal
▸ Develop a thorough roadmap and timeline for the process
▸ Accept that this will change and be delayed
▸ Identify areas of concern or potential barriers▸ Develop strategies about how to overcome them
Conducting Needs Assessments | October 3, 2012
Promoting awareness
▸ Create community buy-in before the assessment begins:▸ Propose plan to community leaders▸ News releases▸ Letter from public official (s) ▸ Post-card mailing▸ Flyers▸ Local events
Conducting Needs Assessments | October 3, 2012
Assessment: sources of data
▸ Demographic data from existing sources▸ Census; American Community Survey
▸ Focus groups▸ Conducting a sample survey▸ Key informant interviews▸ Each source of data has strengths,
limitations, challenges
Conducting Needs Assessments | October 3, 2012
Using demographic data
▸ Opportunities and examples
▸ Data from the decennial Census (latest was 2010) for every community: age, race, sex, household composition, owner occupied residence
▸ Data from the American Community Survey (conducted annually). Available every year in one-year files (for the largest communities); in three year files (for medium-sized communities) and in five year files (for small communities)
Conducting Needs Assessments | October 3, 2012
Plymouth Town: 2010 Census
Living arrangements among people aged 65+
Owner occupancy for householders age 60+
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Age composition
Age distribution of Smithville senior center participants
Age distribution of “Smithville”
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Learning more about your residents’ needs
Median household income in Worcester% disabled (age 65+)
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Conducting a survey▸ Question Construction
▸ Length
▸ Sampling
▸ Online v. mail v. phone
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Focus groups▸ Planning & Recruitment
▸ Facilitator’s role
▸ Questions
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Key informant interviews▸ Selection of key informants
▸ Structure of the interviews
▸ Questions▸ “Do you think your department works well with the
Council on Aging?” ▸ This prompts the person to consider the idea that maybe they
don’t work well with the COA.▸ “Tell me about your department’s relationship with the
Council on Aging?”▸ This questions allows the person to tell you all of the
information about the relationship with no implied bias
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Post-Assessment: analysis▸ Response rate
▸ Analysis Basics▸ Qualitative▸ Quantitative
▸ Triangulation
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Post-Assessment: dissemination
▸ Dissemination of results:▸ Final report ▸ News article▸ Fact sheet
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Research Partnerships:▸ Identify partners
▸ How can they help?
Things to keep in mind: ▸ Confirm the research entity as a credible organization.▸ Determine how this research will support both your
organization and the research institution’s missions.▸ Identify unique resources and agree upon which partners are
responsible for providing which resources (e.g., financial, human capital, dissemination)
▸ Understand what is ethical and legal
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Helpful Hints:▸ Be clear about the PURPOSE of your assessment▸ Have a detailed timeline and roadmap of the process
▸ Build in extra time▸ Create awareness in the community▸ Consider research partners▸ Determine appropriate sources of data▸ Stay realistic
▸ NEED versus WANT
Conducting Needs Assessments | October 3, 2012
Available Resources:
▸ Kreuger & Casey (2009). Focus Groups: A Practical Guide for Applied Research (4th ed.), Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage Publications.
▸ Witkin, B. R., & Altschuld, J. W., (1995). Planning and conducting needs assessments: A practical guide. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications
Conducting Needs Assessments | October 3, 2012
Thank you!
Jan Mutchler: [email protected] Caitlin Coyle [email protected]
Hayley Gravette, [email protected]
http://www.umb.edu/academics/mgs/gerontology/