Carers' unmet needs

It is vital that informal carers are provided with appropriate support to ensure they can provide adequate care and also to reduce carer burden and stress. This page presents information on the unmet needs of carers in 2018, from the Australian Bureau of Statistics Survey of Disability, Ageing and Carers (SDAC).

Just under 2 in 5 primary carers of people with dementia reported they need assistance or need further assistance with the caring role (38%). This was higher than what was reported by primary carers of people without dementia (27%) (Table S6.18). 

Among primary carers of people with dementia who required more support, the main unmet needs were as follows:

  • 23% reported they needed more respite care – this was higher than what was reported by primary carers of people without dementia (13%).
  • 20% reported they needed more physical assistance or emotional support– there was no statistical difference compared with primary carers of people without dementia (13%). 

However, primary carers of people with dementia were less likely to report that they needed more financial assistance (16%) than primary carers of people without dementia (30%) (Figure 6.10). 

Figure 6.10: Primary carers of people with dementia and people without dementia who required more support in 2018: percentage, by main unmet source of support

Figure 6.10 is a bar graph showing the percentage of primary carers of people with dementia and primary carers of people without dementia who required more support in 2018 by the main unmet need for support. The main unmet needs among primary carers of people with dementia were that they needed more respite care, followed by more physical assistance or emotional support. Needing more respite care was reported more frequently by primary carers of people with dementia than primary carers of people without dementia. Primary carers of people with dementia were less likely to report that they needed more financial assistance than primary carers of people without dementia.