Australians receiving disability support services are getting
older, according to a new report released today by the Australian
Institute of Health and Welfare.
Disability support services 2000: national data on services
provided under the Commonwealth/State Disability Agreement
shows that the average age of people who receive accommodation
services has increased from 36 years in 1996 to 39 years in 2000.
The average age increased for people with disabilities living in
institutions, hostels and group homes.
Co-author of the report, Phil Anderson, said the 20-29 year age
group were the most frequent users of open employment services for
people with a disability and community access services, such as
continuing education.
'However, this peak has noticeably declined between 1996 and
2000 where there was a corresponding increase in some of the older
age groups,' Dr Anderson said.
The report shows that governments provided or funded 75,000
disability services to over 62,000 Australians, under the
Commonwealth/State Disability Agreement (CSDA) on a 'snapshot' day
in May-June 2000. The total expenditure on disability support
services by Commonwealth, State and Territory governments under
this agreement in 1999-00 was $2.2 billion.
Approximately 7,400 outlets are funded under the CSDA to provide
services.
Of all people receiving services, one-third (21,104) were in
Victoria. New South Wales had the second highest number (16,441),
followed by Queensland (8,324) and Western Australia (8,004).
Of people receiving services in 2000:
58% were men;
3% were of Indigenous origin;
49% had more than one disability;
60% were reported to have intellectual disability as their most
significant disability; and
16% received more than one service on the 'snapshot' day.
Children aged 9 years and under were the most likely of all age
groups to use community support services. There was little change
in the age of people using these services, although the average age
of clients using therapy services fell from about 17 in 1996 to 12
in 2000.
28 June 2001
Further information: Phil Anderson, AIHW, tel.
02 62441125, mobile 0419 296 053
Joanne Maples, AIHW, tel. 02 6244 1194.
For media copies of the report: Publications Officer,
AIHW, tel. 02 6244 1032.
Check the AIHW
Publications Catalogue for availability.