Figures show drop in young people in aged care

There’s been a drop in younger people living in and entering aged care over the last year, according to figures released by the government.

There’s been a drop in younger people living in and entering aged care over the last year, according to figures released by the government.

“The number of (younger) people living in permanent residential aged care in Australia has been steadily decreasing,” the government said alongside the release of its latest dataset.

“This has largely been driven by the reduction in admissions of younger people.

“The number of younger people in permanent residential aged care decreased in every state and territory between 2020 and 21.”

Source: Department of Health

More return home during COVID

The government says there was an increase in the number of younger people returning to their homes between July and September last year, which may have been in response to the COVID-19 pandemic or as a result of access to NDIS supports.

However, the data shows there are still 4,106 people under 65 and 105 under 45 in residential care.

The federal government has committed to getting young people out of age care, which is also one of the recommendations of the aged care royal commission.

The Younger People in Residential Aged Strategy sets the following targets:

  • No people under 65 entering aged care by 2022
  • No people under 45 living in aged care by 2022
  • No people under the age of 65 living in residential aged care by 2025

Mental and behavioural disorders

As of March 2021 most younger people in aged care were 45-59 with three per cent aged between 18 and 44.

According to the statistics,  64 per cent of younger people in aged care have mental or behavioural disorders.

Those under 45 more likely than the 45-65 group to have acquired and congenital disabilities related to brain function and more likely to to experience epilepsy, head injuries and incontinence.

The figures show a 20 per cent decrease in the number of  people under 65 in residential aged care from 12 months ago, and a 24 per cent decrease in those under 45.

Meanwhile between January and March, 164 people under 65 entered aged care, down 42 per cent from last year.

Source: Department of Health

Reason for ‘exits’ from aged care

Over the last year, 655 younger people died while in aged care, accounting for 68 per cent of exits.

Twenty-nine exited to a hospital, 192 returned home and 92 went to another location.

More than half of the exits involved people in the 60-64 aged group.

The average length of stay for younger people was four years and four months.

In terms of demographics, 53 per cent were male, just over two per cent lived in very remote regions and 10 per cent identified as Aboriginal or Torres  Strait Islander.

Read more: Collaboration provides accomodation for NDIS participants.

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Tags: disability, young-people-in-aged-care,

1 thought on “Figures show drop in young people in aged care

  1. The reason there are less younger folk in residential care facilities is because facilities are refusing admission. The unfunded costs are burdensome, the documentation is absurd, there is a government expectation that aged care funding be diverted from its intended purpose which is caring for all residents and facilities are simply not prepared to make these inappropriate staff changes. This whole “getting under 65s out of nursing homes” is a phurphy.. these folk are still in the same bed,in the same room but instead of being under the aged care Act they are now under the NDIS act.

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