Older people over 65 are active contributors to family and
community life, and not the 'burden on the community' some people
imagine them to be, says a new report, Older Australia at a
glance, released today by the Australian Institute of Health
and Welfare (AIHW).
Ann Peut, Head of the Institute's Ageing and Aged Care Unit,
said the report showed that older people in Australia are a diverse
group from an array of backgrounds who contribute in many ways to
the social and economic wellbeing of Australia.
'For a start, 24% of men and 13% of women aged 65-69 years
participate in the workforce', Ms Peut said.
'Despite having relatively low average levels of income, 24% of
all older Australians were providing direct or indirect financial
support for adult children or relatives outside their
household.
'And almost half of all people aged 65-74 years provide unpaid
assistance to someone outside their household, one-third provide
volunteer services, and 29% are actively involved in a community
organisation,' she said.
In addition, older Australians aged 65-74 make up 13% of primary
carers who assist people with disability.
The report also found that, although disability levels and use
of health care services do rise with age, the overwhelming majority
of older people live in private dwellings in the community, with
only 6% living in facilities such as aged care homes and
hospitals.
Even among those aged 85 years and over, the great majority
(74%) live in private dwellings.
'The range of diversity in activities and circumstances among
older Australians is not surprising given that this particular
segment of the population covers an age range of almost 40 years,'
Ms Peut said.
At the younger end of the spectrum, the baby boomer post-World
War II population bulge is moving through mature age into early
older age, bringing not just increased numbers, but also new
issues, different life experiences and differences in expectations
compared with the over-85s, who grew up during the Depression.
At the older end of the spectrum increased longevity is
resulting in marked growth in the numbers of people over the age of
85, and associated increases in the prevalence of many health
conditions, including neurodegenerative diseases such as
dementia.
'We hope that our report paints a meaningful picture of older
Australia which reflects this complexity and diversity, and helps
improve our understanding of this population as a whole as well as
the many possible situations within it,' Ms Peut said.
22 November 2007
Further information: Ms Ann Peut, AIHW mobile
0419 296 053.
For media copies of the report: Publications
Officer, AIHW, tel. 61 2 6244 1032.
Availability: Check the AIHW Publications
Catalogue for the availability of Older Australia at a
glance.