Australia’s aged care system offers a range of services to support people’s varying personal and health circumstances. Each year many older Australians enter or re-enter aged care or change the type of care they are receiving.
Last updated: 28 July 2022.
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For a downloadable summary of the information in this topic, view the
Admissions into aged care fact sheet.
Related information can be found on other GEN topic pages
The aged care system offers a continuum of care under three main types of service:
- Home support (Commonwealth Home Support Programme), which provides entry-level services focused on supporting individuals to undertake tasks of daily living to enable them to be more independent at home and in the community.
- Home care (Home Care Packages Program), which is a more structured, more comprehensive package of home-based support, provided over four levels.
- Residential aged care, which provides support and accommodation for people who have been assessed as needing higher levels of care than can be provided in the home, and the option for 24-hour nursing care. Residential care is provided on either a permanent, or a temporary (respite) basis.
There are also several types of flexible care available that extend across the spectrum from home support to residential aged care:
- Transition care, which provides short-term care to restore independent living after a hospital stay
- Short-term restorative care, which expands on transition care to include anyone whose capacity to live independently is at risk
- Multi-purpose services, which offer aged care alongside health services in Regional and remote areas
- Innovative Care Programme, which includes a range of programs to support flexible ways of providing care to target population groups
- National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care Program, which provides culturally-appropriate aged care at home and in the community.
For more information on aged care services in Australia see the
Report on the Operation of the Aged Care Act, or visit the
Department of Health website.
Aged care admissions refer to the number of entries into an aged care service over a specified period, rather than the number of people who entered the service. People are counted as an ‘admission’ to aged care when they start using a service, and are counted again if they return (excluding short periods of leave). A person’s first admission to an aged care service is counted only once, although they will have multiple first admissions should they use a range of aged care services (e.g. one first admission to home care, and one first admission to transition care).
To access aged care services, a person must undergo an assessment to determine their eligibility and what care would be best for them. For most aged care programs, a person’s access to government-subsidised aged care is determined by their assessed need, not their age.
My Aged Care is a contact centre and website which serves as the starting point to access government-subsidised aged care services. The website provides a variety of information on care types, eligibility for aged care, and services in the local area. Following an initial screening through My Aged Care, people are followed-up with either a home support assessment (conducted by Regional Assessment Services; RAS) or a comprehensive assessment (conducted by an Aged Care Assessment Team; ACAT).
In a comprehensive assessment, a member of the local ACAT assesses an individual’s physical, medical, psychological and social needs. After the assessment, the ACAT advises the person of the services that they are approved for (e.g. a Home Care Package or permanent residential aged care) and the reasons for that approval. The person can then choose to begin using an aged care service at a time that is convenient to them. A number of factors may influence this decision, for example, some people may:
- wish to remain at home for as long as possible, going into approved residential care at a later date or not at all,
- delay entry to care due to personal circumstances, such as selling their home,
- choose informal care, where family, friends or the community provide support,
- reject an offer due to the cost or location.
Aged care admissions in 2020–21
The Australian Government uses Aged Care Planning Regions (ACPRs) to plan aged care services across Australia.
In 2020–21, there were around 250,000 admissions to aged care services in Australia (over 67,000 to permanent residential care, over 82,000 to respite residential care, over 77,000 to home care, and over 23,000 to transition care).
A map shows the number of total and first admissions to aged care services across Australia by Aged Care Planning Regions (ACPRs). The region with the highest number of total admissions to permanent residential care was Southern Metro, Victoria with almost 4000 admissions.
You can learn more about ACPRs on the Department of Health website.
To find detailed information on the people using aged care in different ACPRs and Primary Health Networks (PHNs), please visit the My aged care region dedicated page on GEN.
Aged care admissions by age
Although the majority of aged care admissions are for people aged 65 and over, admissions for younger people also occur.
Younger people under the age of 65 chiefly access aged care services due to challenges associated with accessing age-appropriate accommodation and supports in the community. The Australian Government has committed to no people under the age of 65 living in residential aged care by 2025, except in exceptional circumstances. For more information on younger people in residential aged care, see the
Younger people in residential aged care dashboard.
In 2020–21:
- The largest proportion of first admissions to residential aged care were people aged 85–89 (26% and 25% of first admissions in permanent and respite residential aged care, respectively).
- More than half of all admissions to permanent and respite residential care were for people aged 85 and over (53% and 52% respectively). By contrast, for home care, almost 2 in 5 (38%) admissions were for people aged 85 and over.
- Over 3,000 admissions to aged care services were for people aged under 65 (representing 1.3% of total admissions), the largest proportion of which were to respite residential care and home care.
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A bar graph shows the number of admissions to aged care services grouped by admission type, care type and age group. Over half (53%) of admissions to permanent residential care were for people aged 85 and over, compared with almost 2 in 5 (38%) admissions to home care. The largest proportion of first admissions to residential aged care were people aged 85–89.
Aged care admissions by sex
There are more admissions to aged care for women than men across all program types.
In 2020–21:
- Nearly 3 in 5 (59%) admissions to aged care services were for women.
- Across all types of care, the proportion of admissions by sex was very similar – approximately 60% female and 40% male.
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A bar graph shows the number of admissions to aged care services grouped by admission type, care type and sex. The majority of admissions to aged care services were for women (59%). The proportion of admissions by sex was very similar across all care types.
Aged care admissions by age and sex
The age profiles of men and women entering aged care services differ. Women tend to enter aged care at a later age than men.
In 2020–21:
- Higher proportions of women entered permanent residential aged care for the first time at an older age compared with men (58% of first admissions for women were aged 85 and over, compared with 49% for men).
- Compared with permanent and respite residential aged care, admissions to home care and transition care were more commonly in people aged under 85, with a similar proportion of admissions for men and women in these age groups.
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A butterfly chart shows the proportion of admissions to aged care services grouped by admission type, care type, sex and age group. Higher proportions of women entered permanent residential care for the first time at an older age compared with men. Admissions to home care and transition care were more common in people aged under 85, with a similar proportion of admissions for men and women in these age groups.
Aged care admissions over time
More people are entering aged care services than they were ten years ago, which partly reflects the growing older population in Australia (the population aged 65 and over has grown by 35% in this time). In recent years, the number of people entering aged care services is likely to have been impacted by COVID-19. See COVID-19 and aged care admissions for further information.
Trends over time for the 10 years from 2011–12 to 2020–21 indicate that:
- Overall, the number of admissions increased for most care types: home care had the largest increase (159% increase), followed by respite residential care (31% increase) and transition care (6.4% increase).
- Admissions to permanent residential care decreased by just over 2,000 admissions (3.0%). While the number of admissions to permanent residential care decreased among women (6.8% decrease), the number of admissions for men increased (3.0% increase).
- The number of admissions for people aged 85 and over increased in home care, respite residential care and transition care (149%, 39% and 14% increase respectively), while admissions to permanent residential care increased slightly (0.3% increase, or just over 100 admissions). The percentage increase in admissions by males in this age group exceeded the percentage increase in admissions by females across all care types.
- The decrease in the number of admissions to permanent residential care may, in part, be attributed to two initiatives of the Australian Government: the first being to support older Australians to age at home as outlined in the Living Better, Living Longer reforms; and the second being the goal to reduce the number of younger people entering residential care (the number of people under the age of 65 entering permanent residential care decreased by 61% over this period). See Younger people in residential aged care.
More recent trends indicate that:
- The number of admissions to home care increased by 57% (almost 27,000 admissions) between 2018–19 and 2019–20, representing the greatest year-on-year increase in admissions for home care.
- The number of admissions to permanent residential care has been decreasing since 2016–17. During this time, the greatest year-on-year decrease occurred between 2019–20 and 2020–21 (3.4%).
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A line graph shows the number of admissions to aged care services grouped by admission type, age group, sex and care type over time. Trends over the decade from 2011–12 to 2020–21 indicate that admissions increased for all care types, with the largest increase in admissions to home care (159% increase), followed by respite residential care (31% increase). The greatest year-on-year increase in home care admissions was between 2018–19 and 2019–20 (57% increase).
Home care admissions over time
Home care provides care to individuals based on their assessed care needs. Home care packages are available at 4 levels, from Level 1 (suitable for basic care needs) through to Level 4 (suitable for high-level care needs). In recent years, the number of people entering aged care services is likely to have been impacted by COVID-19. See
COVID-19 and aged care admissions for further information.
In 2020–21:
- A third (33%) of home care admissions were at Level 1, over a third (35%) were at Level 2, and 21% and 11% were at Level 3 and Level 4, respectively.
Trends in home care admissions since 2014–15 indicate that:
- The number of admissions has increased for all home care package levels except level 4, although these have increased by 32% from 2019-20 and 2021-21.
- Home care admissions at Level 3 have shown the steadiest increase over time, while admissions at Level 1 have had the most dramatic increase, notably in the past two years.
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A line graph shows the number of admissions to home care grouped by admission type and home care level in 2014–15 to 2020–21. In 2020–21, the greatest proportion of home care admissions were at Level 2, followed by Level 1, Level 3 and Level 4. Trends over the seven years indicate that home care admissions at Level 3 have shown the steadiest increase over time, while admissions at Level 1 have had the most dramatic increase, notably in the past two years.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians admissions to aged care
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people face multiple health and social disadvantages. As a consequence, they are more likely to develop serious medical conditions earlier in life, and have a lower life expectancy than their non-Indigenous counterparts. You can learn more about Indigenous Australians in aged care by viewing the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people dashboard, or learn about the health and welfare of Indigenous Australians on the AIHW website.
In recognition of poorer health among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, aged care services are offered to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people from age 50. In practice, Indigenous Australians may face barriers to accessing and using aged care services for complex, inter-related reasons, including remoteness, language barriers, and the effects of racism and continued socioeconomic disadvantage. Delivering culturally appropriate aged care can improve access to, and the quality of, aged care for Indigenous Australians. The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care Program provides culturally appropriate care for Indigenous Australians in certain locations, mostly in rural and remote areas, that are close to their communities. Data on admissions to this program are not currently available.
In 2020–21:
- Indigenous Australians accounted for 1.5% of admissions to aged care services for which data are available (permanent residential aged care, respite residential care, home care and transition care).
- Admissions to aged care for Indigenous Australians more commonly occurred at younger ages than for non-Indigenous Australians—20% of admissions to permanent residential aged care, 20% of admissions to respite residential care, 29% of admissions to home care and 27% of admissions to transition care were for Indigenous Australians aged under 65. In comparison, 1% or less of admissions for non-Indigenous Australians were for people aged under 65, across all care types.
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A butterfly chart shows the proportion of admissions to aged care services grouped by admission type, care type, Indigenous status and age group. Admissions for Indigenous Australians more commonly occurred at younger ages than for non-Indigenous Australians, for example, 20% of admissions to permanent residential care by Indigenous Australians were those aged under 65, compared with 1.2% of non-Indigenous Australians.
Admissions for people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
Many older Australians, including those living in residential aged care, were born overseas, speak a variety of languages, may not speak English fluently or have defining religious or cultural practices. These groups of people can be referred to as culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD), although these Australians are by nature heterogenous, and situations and needs vary greatly. CALD Australians can face barriers in engaging with aged care and the support they require. Due to data availability, this section focuses on country of birth and preferred language as measures of people’s cultural and linguistic diversity.
In 2020–21:
- Across all aged care services, 23% of admissions were for people born in non-English-speaking countries. The care type with the greatest proportion of admissions by people born in non-English-speaking countries was home care (29%).
- 17% of admissions to home care and around 9% of admissions to respite residential care, permanent residential care and transition care were for people who preferred to speak a language other than English.
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Two horizontal bar graphs show the proportion of admissions to aged care services grouped by admission type, care type, country of birth and preferred language. For home care admissions, approximately 29% were for people who were born in a non-English-speaking country, while almost 17% were for people who preferred to speak a language other than English.
Remoteness
In general, the proportion of admissions to aged care services for the population varies within remoteness regions and depends on the types of aged care services available. The location of services may mean that people living in remote areas need to move to less remote areas to access higher-level aged care services.
In 2020–21:
- Across most aged care services, the number of admissions per 1,000 target population tended to be highest in large and medium rural towns (MM 3–4), with the exception of transition care where the number of admissions per 1,000 target populations was highest in regional centres (MM 2) across all age-groups.
- Admissions by target population to permanent residential aged care were highest in more densely populated areas (MM 1–4) and lower for small rural towns, remote and very remote areas (MM 5–7).
- The number of admissions by target population to home care was highest in large rural towns (MM 3).
- Admissions to transition care per 1,000 target population was highest in regional centres and large rural towns (MM 2–3). Transition care was not available in small rural towns and remote areas (MM 5–7).
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The Modified Monash Model (MMM) is one of several classifications for defining whether a location is a city, rural, remote or very remote. The model measures remoteness and population size on a scale of Modified Monash (MM) category MM 1 to MM 7. MM 1 is a metropolitan area, including Australia’s major cities, and MM 7 is a very remote community, such as Longreach.
From January 2020, Department of Health programs transitioned to use the MMM classification. You can learn more about the MMM on the
Department of Health’s website.
A line graph shows the number of admissions per 1,000 people in the target population grouped by admission type, care type, remoteness and age group (70–74 to 85+). The number of admissions per 1,000 target population tended to be highest in large and medium rural towns (MM 3–4) (with the exception of transition care which was highest in regional centres).
States and territories
The number of admissions to aged care services per 1,000 people in the target population varies across Australia’s states and territories, as does the types of care services available.
In 2020–21:
- Tasmania (23.5 per 1,000 of the target population), Queensland and South Australia (both 23.4 per 1,000 of the target population) had the highest number of admissions to permanent residential aged care.
- South Australia had the highest number of admissions to respite residential care per 1,000 target population (39.8 per 1,000 of the target population).
- New South Wales and South Australia had the highest number of admissions to home care services per 1,000 target population (27.6 and 26.5 per 1,000 of the target population, respectively)—and Tasmania had the lowest number of admissions (21.0 per 1,000 of the target population).
- The number of admissions to transition care varied less between states and territories. The highest number of admissions was in the Northern Territory (15.3 per 1,000 of the target population) and the lowest was in Victoria (7.1 per 1,000 of the target population).
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A bar graph shows the number of admissions per 1,000 people in the target population grouped by admission type, care type and state and territory. Queensland, South Australia and Tasmania had the highest number of admissions to permanent residential aged care per 1,000 target population (approximately 23 per 1,000 people), while New South Wales and South Australia had the highest number of admissions to home care services per 1,000 target population (approximately 27 per 1,000 people).
Explore admissions into aged care
Use the interactive table below to explore the number of people using aged care services by care type, admission type, age group, sex, Indigenous status, preferred language, country of birth and geography (Aged Care Planning Regions).
If you are interested in accessing a confidentialised data set that includes selected information about admissions into residential care, home care, and transition care in Australia by state and territory and Aged Care Planning Regions (ACPRs), please see the relevant Confidentialised Unit Record File available on GEN.
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A table shows the number of admissions to aged care services in Australia by admission type, care type, age group, sex, Indigenous status, preferred language, country of birth and geography (Aged Care Planning Regions).
COVID-19 and aged care admissions
Australia has faced significant challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. COVID-19 can be more serious for people who are vulnerable, including older Australians. This heightened risk prompted a specific response in the aged care sector.
The number of people entering aged care services is likely to have been impacted by COVID-19. In some cases, people may have chosen not to enter care due to the risks of virus transmission, choosing instead to seek assistance from formal community care services or to receive additional informal support from family, friends or neighbours. The data presented here are to 30 June 2021, spanning approximately a year and a half of the COVID-19 pandemic and associated restrictions in Australia. The extent of pandemic-related impacts will be clearer in future data releases.
For further information related to older Australians and COVID-19, including access to advice and support resources, see the Australian Government’s My Aged Care website.