Notes on the data: Aged care places

Community aged care places, 30 June 2011

Policy context: Community care is a growing area of aged care, which has developed in response to the preference of most people who need support, to live at home in the community, rather than moving to some form of institutional care. Most home and community-based services for older people are provided under the auspices of the Home and Community Care (HACC) program. Three smaller community care programs are funded by the Australian government for older people who have been evaluated by an Aged Care Assessment Team (ACAT) and found to be eligible for residential aged care or its community care equivalents. These programs are:

the Community Aged Care Packages (CACPs) program which provides support services for frail or disabled older people with dependency and complex needs living at home who would otherwise be eligible for admission to low-level residential care;
the Extended Aged Care at Home (EACH) program which aims to deliver care at home that is equivalent to high-level residential care; and
the Extended Aged Care at Home Dementia (EACH Dementia) program which provides the equivalent of high-level residential care in the home to frail older people who experience behaviours of concern and psychological symptoms associated with dementia.

Notes: The data is based on the Statistical Local Area of the location of the agency funded, which is not necessarily the address of the person receiving the package of care.

Community Aged Care Packages offer low dependency level care for older people who are frail and/or disabled, in their own home, whether they live with their spouse, family or on their own. Trained staff provide flexible and coordinated support, which may include assistance with personal care (eg showering, grooming); household help (eg shopping, cleaning); linking with activities and pursuits in the community; and other assistance as negotiated according to individual need.

This data includes: Multi-Purpose Services; National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Aged Care Program; and Consumer Directed Care. Refer to the Aged Care Service List for further information.

The data excludes the Transition Care Program (TCP), which provides short-term support and active management for older people after a hospital stay in either a residential or community aged care setting.

Note: The data show a number of areas as having rates that are very high: these are areas with relatively high proportions of Indigenous population. As ageing and disability affect Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people earlier than they do non-Indigenous Australians, planning for services is based on the number of people aged 50 years and over, instead of 70 years and over as used for the rest of the population.

Numerator: Number of community aged care places

Denominator: Population aged 70 years and over

Detail of analysis: Rate per 1,000 population aged 70 years and over

Source: Compiled by PHIDU based on data from the Department of Health and Ageing, 30 June 2011; and ABS Estimated Resident Population, 30 June 2011.