Whether a person with disability modifies their home, as well as they types of modifications they make, varies by age and severity of disability (Figure 1). For example:
- older people (aged 65 and over) with disability, and those with severe or profound disability, are the most likely to have modified their home
- while hand grab rails are the most common adjustment for all age groups, this modification was more common among older people
- some modifications (such as structural changes, ramps, widened doors, and new or changed heating or air-conditioning) are more often made for younger people (aged under 65) than for older people (aged 65 and over).
References
ABS (Australian Bureau of Statistics) 2016 Microdata: disability, ageing and carers, Australia, 2015. ABS cat. no. 4430.0.30.002. Canberra: ABS. AIHW analysis of TableBuilder data.