The desire to age in place among older Australians
Many older Australians report a desire to age in place. This bulletin explores the relationship between this desire and the housing circumstances of older Australians of different tenure types; that is, those who own their home outright, those paying a mortgage and those who rent their home either privately or through social housing.
Hospitalisations due to falls by older people, Australia: 2009-10
This report is the sixth in a series on hospitalisations due to falls by Australians aged 65 and over, and focuses on 2009-10.The estimated number of hospitalised injury cases due to falls in older people was 83,800 - more than 5,100 extra cases than in 2008-09 - and about 70% of these falls happened in either the home or an aged care facility.One in every 10 days spent in hospital by a person aged 65 and older in 2009-10 was directly attributable to an injurious fall (1.3 million patient days over the year), and the average total length of stay per fall injury case was estimated to be 15.5 days.
Older people leaving hospital: a statistical overview of the Transition Care Program 2009-10 and 2010-11
Older people leaving hospital: a statistical overview of the transition care program 2009-10 and 2010-11 presents key statistics about transition care services provided to older people directly after discharge from hospital. The Transition Care Program aims to improve recipients' independence and functioning, and has assisted nearly 52,000 people since it started in 2005-06, including 18,000 individuals who received just under 20,300 episodes of transition care in 2010-11. The report includes for the first time an analysis of trends since the program's establishment, and an examination of the final outcomes of people receiving consecutive episodes of care.
People with dementia in hospitals in New South Wales 2006-07
This report examines the experiences of the 252,700 people aged 50 and over who stayed for at least one night in a New South Wales public hospital in 2006-07. Slightly more than 8% of patients (20,800 people) were identified as having dementia. Even allowing for age and sex differences, people with dementia had much higher hospitalisation rates than those without dementia: 26% compared with 12%. They also tended to stay longer in hospital and were more likely to enter or return to residential care on discharge from hospital, or to die in hospital.
Deriving key patient variables: a technical paper for the Hospital Dementia Services Project
This report describes the methods used for the Hospital Dementia Services Project to derive dementia status, complete hospital stays and post-hospital destination using New South Wales hospital data for 2006-07. Comparisons of estimates using these key variables show that the method used to derive the variables can substantially affect analytical results on use of hospitals. This report demonstrates the importance of using analytical data and methods that match the particular policy or research question being asked.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander identification in community services data collections: an updated data quality report
This report examines the identification of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander clients in a number of Australian Institute of Health and Welfare community services data collections, by analysing where Indigenous status is missing/not stated. It makes a number of recommendations, including that data collection manuals and training materials reflect the National best practice guidelines for collecting Indigenous status in health data sets. Where necessary, jurisdictions should consider modifying client forms and client information management systems to ensure consistency with these guidelines.
Dementia in Australia
In 2011, there were an estimated 298,000 people with dementia. This number is expected to increase markedly over time, with projections suggesting it will reach around 400,000 by 2020 and 900,000 by 2050. Dementia is a leading cause of death, accounting for 6% of all deaths in 2010. Total direct health and aged care services expenditure on people with dementia was at least $4.9 billion in 2009-10.
Hospitalisations due to falls in older people, Australia 2008-09
This report is the fifth in a series on hospitalisations due to falls by Australians aged 65 and older and focuses on 2008-09. For the first time in this report series, the rate of hospitalised fall injuries involving older females exceeded 3,000 per 100,000 population. The incidence of injury has continued to increase substantially over the decade to June 2009, despite a sustained decrease in the rate of hip fractures due to falls. Of note, falls that resulted in head injuries and those described as an 'other fall on same level' increased significantly over the study period.
Hospitalisations due to falls in older people, Australia 2006-07
This report is the third in a series on hospitalisations due to falls by Australians aged 65 and older. It focuses on 2006-07 and also examines trends from 1999 to 2007. About 7 in every 10 hospitalised fall injuries occurred in the home or in residential institutions and most were sustained by older females. Age-standardised rates of hospitalised fall-related injury separations have increased over the 8 years to 2007, despite a decrease in the rate for femur fractures.
Hospitalisations due to falls in older people, Australia 2007-08
This report is the fourth in a series on hospitalisations due to falls by Australians aged 65 and older. It focuses on 2007-08 and includes estimates of the cost to the hospital system due to serious falls. As in the previous reports, most falls were sustained by females. About one-third of all cases were for injuries to the hip and thigh, and a fall on the same level due to slipping, tripping and stumbling was the most common cause of hospitalisation. Acute admitted patient care due to fall injuries in 2007-08 was estimated to have cost more than $648 million.
The Hospital Dementia Services Project: a study description
The Hospital Dementia Services Project is an innovative mixed-methods study funded by the National Health and Medical Research Council to investigate how health and aged care system factors influence care outcomes for hospital patients with dementia. People with dementia have comparatively high rates of hospitalisation and longer hospital stays which has an impact on their physical and mental wellbeing. The project focuses on patients aged 50 or over who had an overnight stay in a public hospital in New South Wales during 2006-07. This publication describes the project's objectives and design features.
Older people leaving hospital: a statistical overview of the Transition Care Program in 2008-09
Older people leaving hospital: a statistical overview of the Transition Care Program in 2008-09 presents key statistics on the characteristics and services provided to older people who are eligible for residential aged care directly after discharge from hospital. The program aims to improve recipients' independence and functioning.At 30 June 2009 there were 2,228 places providing transitional care to older people leaving hospital. During 2008-09, around 12,600 individuals received just over 14,000 episodes of transition care.
Pathways in Aged Care: program use after assessment
Analysis of care pathways provides information that is useful to both policy planners and service providers alike. The Pathways in Aged Care (PIAC) cohort study linked aged care assessment data for a cohort of 105,100 people to data sets showing use of five main aged care programs and deaths over 4 years. This report presents an overview of the PIAC cohort, investigating care needs, assessment patterns, common care pathways, time to entry to permanent residential aged care and time to death after assessment for use of aged care services.
Asthma among older people in Australia
Over 92% of the 402 asthma deaths in 2006 were among people aged 45 years and over. Asthma in older Australians is distinct in many ways. The presence of comorbid conditions makes the management of asthma in older people more complex. The disease itself is also more persistent and severe than in the younger ages.
Disability in Australia: multiple disabilities and need for assistance
The number and type of disabilities a person has is highly related to the severity of disability and need for assistance. This report examines the severity of disability and complex support needs of people with multiple disabilities in Australia. The analysis examines people with multiple disabilities in different age groups: children (0-14 years), people of working age (15-64 years) and older people (aged 65 years or over).
Caring for oral health in Australian residential care
As the Australian population ages and more older Australians retain their natural teeth, more people living in residential aged care are developing complex oral disease and dental problems. This report shows that carers play a crucial role in helping maintain the oral health of older adults in residential aged care, including the identification and referral needed for dental care, by investigating 21 aged care facilities in three states.Three aspects of best practice were pursued: assisting the development of policies and procedures; training carers to use an oral health assessment called the Oral Health Assessment Tool (OHAT) and then evaluating the reliability and validity of carers' use of the OHAT; and applying an evidence-based oral health protocol for carers of dependent older adults. The OHAT was evaluated as being a reliable and valid screening tool for use among residents, including those with cognitive impairments.
Hospitalisations due to falls by older people, Australia 2005-06
This report is the second in a series of biennial reports on hospitalisations due to falls by older people in Australia. The report focuses on hospitalised falls occurring in the financial year 2005-06 and examines trends in fall-related hospitalisations over the period 1999-2006. The number of fall events resulting in hospitalisation due to injury for older Australians remains high and the rate of fall-related injury incidents is particularly high for the oldest group within this population. As in the previous report, older females accounted for most of the hospitalised fall injury cases and a third of cases had injuries to the hip and thigh. Half of all fall injury cases for people aged 65 years and older occurred in the home. Falls in residential institutions were also common. Age-standardised rates of hospitalised fall-related injury separations have increased over the seven year study period to June 2006, despite a decrease in the rate for femur fractures due to falls. The estimated total length of stay per fall injury case has also increased over the period 1999-2006, apparently influenced by increases in the number of bed-days used by episodes of fall-related follow-up care.
Older Australia at a glance (fourth edition)
Australia's population is ageing and as baby boomers move into old age this trend is set to gather greater momentum over the next three decades. Significant changes will flow to all aspects of social and economic life as both the number and proportion of older people in the community increase. This fourth edition of Older Australians at a glance provides insights into the diversity of the older population of Australia, where they are living, what they are doing, how healthy they are and the services they are using.In 2011 the Department of Health and Ageing asked the AIHW to update tables and figures for three sections of the report: Section 1 - Demographic profile; Section 2 - Social and economic context; and Section 5 – Special population groups. These tables and figures can be found on the additional material tab on this web page. There is no accompanying analysis of the data presented in this material.
Welfare expenditure Australia 2005-06
'Welfare expenditure Australia' 2005-06 provides estimates of welfare expenditure in Australia for the period 1998-99 to 2005-06. Welfare expenditure comprises cash payments and expenditure for services specifically directed to families and children, older people, people with disabilities, and other groups such as widows, refugees and migrants. In 2005-06 this expenditure totalled $90 billion, $61 billion being for cash benefits and the remaining $29 billion for welfare services. Funding of welfare services by the eight state and territory governments are compared. This publication also contains estimates of social tax expenditures by the Australian Government and a special chapter on residential aged care expenditure. This report is an important reference for policy makers and those working in the community services sector.
Hospitalisation due to falls in older people, Australia 2003-04
This report examines Australian hospital data pertaining to fall injuries in people aged 65 and older in 2003-04. The number of fall events resulting in hospitalisation due to injury for older Australians remains high and the rate of fall-related injury incidents is particularly high for the oldest group within this population. Women are at greatest risk of fall-related injury. Fall incidents most commonly result in a fracture and hip fractures are particularly frequent. This report also highlights that a substantial proportion of fall-related injuries are injuries to the head, which may require more specifically-targeted prevention interventions. Multiple hospital separations due to a single fall incident substantially add to the burden of disease for older Australians. Separations principally involving follow-up care, rehabilitation and other fall-related conditions contributed 136% more bed-days than those occupied due to initial episodes due to fall injury incidents and brought the total number of fall-related hospital bed-days for people aged 65 and older in 2003-04 to over 1.2 million. The estimated total cost for fall-related acute care in Australian hospitals for people aged 65 and older in 2003-04 was $566.0 million. This represents a substantial proportion of the burden of disease and health expenditure for this population and suggests that the lifetime cost of falls in older people may be substantially higher than has been previously calculated.
Fall-related hospitalisations among older people: sociocultural and regional aspects
The ageing of the Australian population has enlarged the population at high risk of fall-related injury and population projections imply substantial increase in years to come. A large proportion of Australia's older population were born overseas and changing migration patterns following the Second World War have resulted in an older population which is becoming highly culturally and linguistically diverse. This report examines fall-related hospitalisations for people aged 65 and older for the years 2000-03 according to country of birth and place of usual residence.
Welfare expenditure Australia 2003-04
'Welfare expenditure Australia 2003-04' provides estimates of expenditure on welfare services and social security benefits in Australia for the period 1998-99 to 2003-04.Welfare services expenditure are benefits in kind to families and children, older people, people with disabilities, and other target groups such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and migrants. This expenditure totalled $20 billion in 2003-04. Estimates are reported by source of funding, whether from governments, from individuals in the form of fees for services or from non-government community service organisations.Funding of welfare services by the eight state and territory governments are compared.This publication also contains estimates of social tax expenditures by the Australian Government. This report is an important reference for policy makers and those working in the community services sector.
Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease among older people in Australia: deaths and hospitalisations
Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) can together be described as obstructive lung disease. This report examines recent data on deaths and hospitalisations among people aged 55 years and over when asthma or COPD are recorded as one of multiple causes of death or hospital diagnoses. The aim is to describe the extent of obstructive lung disease among older Australians, to assess the possibility of misclassification between asthma and COPD and to investigate the association between these diseases and other conditions.
Veterans on Community Aged Care Packages: a comparative study
'Veterans on Community Aged Care Packages: a comparative study' presents a profile of Community Aged Care Package (CACP) recipients who were holders of a Department of Veterans' Affairs gold or white Repatriation Health Card and examines the differences between DVA cardholders and other CACP care recipients. Veterans with gold or white cards have access to a wide range of medical, allied health and community care provided by DVA, in addition to assistance that is available to care recipients through their aged care packages. The CACP Program is only one element of the aged care system. This study is the first of a number of projects that will give an insight into the use of aged care and medical services by veterans and how these interact. Information obtained through these projects should provide a useful insight for policy and planning of aged care services for veterans.
Carers in Australia: assisting frail older people and people with a disability
This report on informal care is a joint initiative of the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare and the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing. Its genesis was an AIHW analysis of the likely future impact of certain social trends including, but not limited to, a reduced willingness of women to substitute unpaid caring work for paid employment.Building on this earlier work, the present report uses the results of the 1998 Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers to present a picture of informal care in Contemporary Australia - who are the primary carers, who do they assist, and what does caring involve? It explores the impact of caring work and patterns of informal service use with informal care.