DIFFERENTIATING THE ELDERLY: A NEW APPROACH USING AUTOMATIC INTERACTION DETECTION (AID)

While there has been increasing recognition of the general proposition that the elderly are not a homogenous population there have been few attempts to delineate the characteristics of sub‐groups varying on dimensions of well‐being, such as health and psychological state. This may be due to the difficulty researchers have encountered in finding a rational basis for differentiating elderly people. However, there are also conceptual and methodological reasons which have contributed towards the neglect of this topic.