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released: 15 Dec 2000 author: AIHW media release

Australia's population is ageing and there is growing interest in the implications of this trend. Rates of disability in Australia are increasing, due in large part to the ageing population, and survival into old age is now a reality for many people who have a lifelong disability. These patterns are creating challenges for the disability and aged care services systems. This report brings together information on trends in population ageing, disability prevalence, informal care, patterns of service use and need for assistance. The report will be an essential information source for service planners and policy makers.

ISSN 1444 3589; ISBN 978 1 74024 090 1; Cat. no. DIS 19; 268pp.; OUT OF PRINT

Full publication

Publication table of contents

  • Preliminary material (118K PDF)
    • Title page and verso
    • Contents
    • List of tables
    • List of figures
    • Summary (85K PDF; HTML)
    • Acknowledgements
    • Abbreviations
  • Sections
    1. Introduction (29K PDF)
      • Project brief
      • Background and outline of the report
    2. Population ageing in Australia (69K PDF)
      • Some demographic features of Australia's population
      • Projected growth in population
      • Trends in population ageing
    3. Population ageing, morbidity and disability (55K PDF)
      • Mortality, morbidity and disability
      • Population ageing and prevalence of people with a disability
    4. Implications of population ageing (58K PDF)
      • Impact on government health and welfare expenditures
      • Impact on government expenditures in aged care and disability services
      • Impact on demand for disability support services
      • Impact on residential aged care services
      • Issues concerning the age dependency ratio
    5. Trends in informal care (62K PDF)
      • Impact of population growth and population ageing on informal care
      • Other factors affecting changes in informal care
      • Trends in community living among people with a disability
      • Impact of caring role on informal carers
      • Support needs for carers
    6. Ageing clients of disability and aged care services and their service usage pattern (57K PDF)
      • Disability services
      • Aged care services
    7. Individual ageing of people with an early onset of disability (37K PDF)
      • Early start of individual ageing
      • Decline in mortality and increase in life expectancy
      • Health conditions and major illnesses and diseases related to ageing: relationship to disability
      • Trends in incidence and prevalence of congenital malformations
    8. Needs of ageing people with a disability (33K PDF)
      • Needs common to the general ageing population
      • Special situations of older people with an early onset disability
      • Special needs of older people with an early onset disability
      • Factors contributing to restricted access to services
    9. Existing services models: some issues (66K PDF)
      • General issues concerning the need for appropriate services
      • Service gaps and needs for new services
      • Need for service responses in some key service areas
      • Differences and similarities of the current disability and aged care service systems
    10. Emerging planning and service models (48K PDF)
      • New South Wales
      • Victoria
      • Western Australia
      • South Australia
      • Tasmania
      • Australian Capital Territory
    11. Overview of relevant data sources (60K PDF)
      • ABS population surveys of relevance to disability
      • Administrative data relating to services provided for people with a disability
      • Data limitations and key data sources for analysis
    12. Population ageing and prevalence of disability (82K PDF)
      • Data sources for comparisons of the four surveys
      • Comparison of age-standardised prevalence estimates
      • Changes in reported number of people with disability
      • Effects of population change on disability prevalence
      • Summary
    13. Ageing of people with a disability (64K PDF)
      • Increase in the proportion of people aged 65 years and over among people with a disability
      • Ageing of aged people with a disability
      • Recent increase in the proportions of people with a disability aged under 65 years
      • Discussion
    14. People ageing with an early onset disability (74K PDF)
      • Age at onset of disability
      • Distribution of age at onset by current age
      • Age at onset of disability by main condition
      • Summary
    15. Ageing, need for assistance and providers of assistance (179K PDF)
      • ABS survey data on need for assistance
      • Need for assistance and main provider of assistance
      • Changes in need for assistance and main provider of assistance between 1993 and 1998
      • Need for assistance and main source of assistance for people ageing with a disability
      • Summary of findings
    16. Ageing, informal care and carers (90K PDF)
      • Disability survey data on carers
      • Ageing and profile of informal carers
      • Need for and receipt of assistance
      • Effects of the caring role on carers
      • Trends in de-institutionalisation
      • Summary
    17. Ageing and trends in service use (133K PDF)
      • Methods and underlying assumptions
      • Growth estimates of severe or profound core activity restriction
      • Trends in service use
      • Summary and discussion
    18. Implications for support services (100K PDF)
      • Population ageing in Australia
      • Impact of population ageing on disability prevalence
      • Impact of population ageing on government health and welfare expenditure
      • Trends in informal care
      • Ageing, need for assistance and providers of assistance
      • Service use pattern
      • Discussion of support service implications
    19. Conclusion (101K PDF)
      • Implications of overall demographic change in the Australian population
      • Understanding the 'grey' areas in services for ageing people with a disability
      • Implications for the nature of services
      • Planning the evolution of support services
  • End matter (170K PDF)
    • References
    • Appendix tables

Recommended citation

AIHW 2000. Disability and ageing Australian population patterns and implications. Disability Series. Cat. no. DIS 19. Canberra: AIHW.