A Stochastic Optimization Approach to the Long-Term Care Structure Assignment Problem for Elderly People

The growing number of elderly people (EP) has become one of the most important problems in recent years. This part of the population is often dependent and does not tolerate environmental changes well, so long-term care (LTC) structure assignments should be well prepared. This article proposes a stochastic optimization approach to solve the LTC structure assignment problem for a population of EP while taking into account health state changes and uncertain future demand. The objective of this approach is to make the best assignment decision among several structures or to wait for a better solution if no suitable structure is available. The model is validated and calibrated on the basis of stakeholder objectives and territorial special features through simulation. We propose a numerical analysis based on both quantitative and qualitative analyses to compare our model with simple assignment policies.

Automated summary

This article presents a stochastic optimization approach to address the long-term care structure assignment problem for the elderly population, considering health state changes and uncertain future demand. The model is validated and calibrated through simulation, aiming to compare different assignment policies.