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Admissions into aged care

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 4 levels
  • residential 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, and services for specific population groups, available that extend across the spectrum from home support to residential care, including:

  • transition care (Transition Care Programme), which provides short-term care to restore optimise independent living after a hospital stay
  • short-term restorative care (Short-Term Restorative Care Programme), which expands on transition care to include anyone whose capacity to live independently is at risk
  • Multi-Purpose Services Program, 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
  • Department of Veterans’ Affairs community nursing and Veterans’ Home Care services for eligible veterans and their families, which provides support to help people stay independent and in their own home.

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 and Aged Care website.

Aged care admissions refer to the number of entries into an aged care service over a specified period, rather than the unique count of people. People are counted as a separate ‘admission’ to aged care every time they start using a service (e.g. a person entering respite residential care 3 times during a financial year will be counted as 3 admissions). A person’s first admission to a care type is counted only once, although they will have multiple first admissions should they use a range of care types (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 2022–23

The map below shows where aged care admissions occurred. The map is divided into 73 Aged Care Planning Regions (ACPRs). The Australian Government uses ACPRs to plan the distribution and types of aged care services to be made available across Australia. You can learn more about ACPRs on the Department of Health and Aged Care website.

In 2022–23, there were almost 317,000 admissions to aged care services in Australia (almost 79,000 to permanent residential care, over 94,000 to respite residential care, almost 121,000 to home care, over 14,000 to transition care and over 8,000 to short term restorative care). Most admissions to residential care and home care in 2022–23 were the person’s first time accessing that care type (87% for permanent residential care, 64% for respite residential and 81% for home care). 

The map shows the number of total and first admissions to aged care services across Australia by Aged Care Planning Region (ACPR). The region with the highest number of total admissions to permanent residential care was Southern Metro, Victoria with almost 4,900 admissions.

You can learn more about ACPRs on the Department of Health and Aged Care 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 2022–23:

  • The median age at admission was 86 for permanent and respite residential care, 82 for home care and transition care and 80 for short-term restorative care.
  • More than half of all admissions to permanent and respite residential care were for people aged 85 and over (57% and 56% respectively). By contrast, less than 4 in 10 admissions to home care and transition care (38% and 39% respectively) and less than 3 in 10 (29%) admissions to short-term restorative care were for people aged 85 and over.
  • Around 2,000 admissions to aged care services were for people aged under 65 (representing 0.6% of total admissions), the largest proportion of which were to home care.
The column graph shows the number of admissions to aged care services grouped by care type and age group. Over half (57%) of admissions to permanent residential care were for people aged 85 and over, compared with over one third (38%) of admissions to home care.

Aged care admissions by sex

There are more admissions to aged care for women than men across all program types.

In 2022–23:

  • Around 3 in 5 (60%) 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.
The column graph shows the number of admissions to aged care services grouped by care type and sex. The majority of admissions to aged care services were for women (60%). The proportion of admissions by sex was similar across all care types.

Aged care admissions by age and sex

The age profiles of men and women entering aged care services differ.

In 2022–23:

  • Higher proportions of women were admitted to permanent residential aged care at an older age compared with men (61% of total admissions for women were aged 85 and over, compared with 51% for men).
  • For home care, women and men had a similar age distribution for admissions (38% of total admissions for both men and women were aged 85 and over).
The butterfly chart shows the proportion of admissions to aged care services grouped by care type, sex and age group. Higher proportions of women entered permanent residential care at an older age compared with men. Admissions to home care, transition care, and short-term restorative 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 is partly a function of Australia’s growing older population (the population aged 65 and over has grown by 32% over this time).

Trends over the 10 years from 2013–14 to 2022–23 indicate that:

  • Overall, the number of admissions increased for home care and respite residential care (267% and 48% increases, respectively) while admissions to transition care decreased by 42%.
  • Admissions to permanent residential care increased by almost 4,400 admissions over the decade (5.9%). The number of admissions to permanent residential care increased more for men compared with women over the decade (11% and 2.8% increases, respectively).
  • After accounting for the growth in the older population, the rate of admissions to permanent residential care for people aged 65 and over decreased from 21 admissions per 1,000 people aged 65 and over in 2013–14 to 17 per 1,000 in 2022–23.

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.
  • Admissions to transition care decreased by 22% (around 4,100 admissions) between 2021–22 and 2022–23.
The line graph shows the number of admissions and admissions per 1,000 people aged 65 and over to aged care services grouped by age group, sex and care type over time. Trends over the decade from 2013–14 to 2022–23 indicate that admissions increased for all care types except transition care, with the largest increase in admissions to home care (267% increase), followed by respite residential care (48% 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 2022–23:

  • The largest share of home care admissions were at Level 2 (43%), followed by Level 3 (35%) and Level 4 (16%). Less than 1 in 16 (6.1%) home care admissions in 2022–23 were at Level 1.

Trends in home care admissions since 2014–15 indicate that:

  • The number of admissions has increased for all home care package levels between 2014–15 and 2022–23.
  • More recent trends, between 2021–22 and 2022–23, indicate that admissions at Level 2 increased by 91% and admissions at Level 1 decreased by 69%.
The line graph shows the number of admissions to home care and the number of admissions per 1,000 people aged 65 and over, grouped by home care level from 2014–15 to 2022–23. In 2022–23, the greatest proportion of home care admissions were at Level 2, followed by Level 3, Level 4 and Level 1. The proportion of admissions at Level 1 and Level 3 were steadily rising over time, but Level 1 began to decrease between 2020–21 and 2022–23. The number of admissions of Level 2 packages has fluctuated over time, but has almost doubled (91% increase) in recent years between 2021–22 and 2022–23.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians admissions to aged care

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander (First Nations) 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. In recognition of poorer health among First Nations communities, aged care services are offered to First Nations people from age 50.

In practice, First Nations people 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 First Nations people. The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Flexible Aged Care (NATSIFAC) Program provides culturally appropriate care for First Nations people in certain locations, mostly in rural and remote areas, that are close to their communities.

For more information on First Nations people using aged care, view the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people using aged care dashboard, or view the First Nations people topic on the AIHW website.

In 2022–23:

  • First Nations people accounted for 1.8% of admissions to mainstream aged care services (residential care, home care, transition care and short-term restorative care) where Indigenous status was known.
  • Admissions to aged care for First Nations people more commonly occurred at younger ages: usually around a decade younger for First Nations people than for non-Indigenous Australians. Respectively for First Nations people and non-Indigenous people, the median age of admission to each care type was: 76 and 86 for permanent residential aged care, 75 and 86 for respite residential aged care, 71 and 82 for home care and transition care, and 68 and 80 for short term restorative care.
The butterfly graph shows the proportion of admissions to aged care services grouped by care type, Indigenous status and age group. Admissions for First Nations people more commonly occurred at younger ages than for non-Indigenous Australians, for example, 11% of admissions to permanent residential care by Indigenous Australians were those aged under 65, compared with 0.3% of non-Indigenous Australians.

Admissions for people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds

Many older Australians 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). The situations and needs of CALD Australians vary due to their diverse backgrounds. CALD Australians can face barriers in accessing and engaging with aged care and the support they require.

This section focuses on country of birth and preferred language as measures of people’s cultural and linguistic diversity.

In 2022–23:

  • People born in non-English-speaking countries accounted for 24% of admissions to mainstream aged care services (residential care, home care, transition care and short-term restorative care) where country of birth was known.
  • The care type with the highest proportion of admissions by people born in non-English-speaking countries was home care (29%) and the care types with the lowest proportion were permanent residential care and transition care (20%).
  • Around 14% of all admissions to mainstream aged care services, where preferred language was known, was for people who preferred to speak a language other than English.
  • Nearly 1 in 5 (18%) admissions to home care were for people who preferred to speak a language other than English, whereas closer to 1 in 10 (11%) admissions to permanent residential care were for people who preferred to speak a language other than English.
The two bar graphs show the proportion of admissions to aged care services grouped by care type, country of birth and preferred language. For home care admissions, 29% of total admissions were for people who were born in a non-English-speaking country, while 18% were for people who preferred to speak a language other than English.

States and territories

The proportion of older Australians (all people aged 65 and over) admitted to aged care services differs between states and territories. State and territory in this section is based the location of the service (facility) from which care is delivered, which can be different to the state or territory of the care recipient for home care.

In 2022–23:

  • South Australia and Victoria had the highest per capita admissions to permanent residential care (18 admissions per 1,000 population aged 65 and over). South Australia also had the highest per capita admissions to respite residential care (29 per 1,000).
  • Home care services in Queensland had the highest per capita admissions (33 per 1,000) while the lowest was for home care services in the Australian Capital Territory (17 per 1,000).
  • The Northern Territory had the highest per capita admissions to transition care and short-term restorative care (6.4 per 1,000 and 4.2 per 1,000, respectively) – more than double the per capita admissions to transition care and short-term restorative care in the rest of Australia (3.1 per 1,000 and 1.7 per 1,000, respectively).
The column graph shows the number of admissions per 1,000 people aged 65 and over grouped by care type and state and territory. South Australia and Victoria had the highest number of admissions to permanent residential care per 1,000 target population (approximately 18 per 1,000 people), while Queensland had the highest proportion of admissions to home care services (approximately 33 per 1,000 people).

Remoteness

In general, the proportion of the older population (aged 65 and over) admitted to aged care services varies across 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. Remoteness in this section is based the location of the service (facility) from which care is delivered, so people using home care can live some distance away from the physical location of the service.

In 2022–23:

  • Admissions to permanent residential aged care per 1,000 population aged 65 and over were highest in more densely populated areas (MM 1–4) and lower for small rural towns, remote and very remote areas (MM 5–7).
  • Per capita admissions to transition care were highest in regional centres and large rural towns (MM 2–3). There were no transition care services in small rural towns (MM 5) and very remote areas (MM 7).
  • Per capita admissions to short-term restorative care were highest in more densely populated areas (MM1–3), followed by very remote communities (MM 7).
  • Home care services in very remote communities (MM 7) appeared to have the highest per capita admissions. That is, there were 49 admissions to home care services in very remote communities for every 1,000 people aged 65 and over living in very remote communities. However, the people using home care can live some distance away from the physical location of the service.

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. You can learn more about the MMM on the Department of Health and Aged Care website.

The column graph shows the number of admissions per 1,000 people aged 65 and over grouped by care type and remoteness. Across residential care services, the number of admissions per 1,000 people was highest in large and medium rural towns (MM 3–4). However, the number of admissions per 1,000 people was highest in very remote communities (MM 7) for home care services.

Where can I find out more?

Related information can be found on other GEN topic pages

For a confidentialised unit record file (CURF) on this topic, view the GEN data: Admissions into aged care.

For information on people using aged care by Aged Care Planning Region (ACPR) or Primary Health Network (PHN), view the My aged care region dashboard.