Table 1.
Demographic characteristics and cause and place of death, decedents aged ≥70 years, NSW, 2007 (n = 34,556)
| All aged 70+ | Aged 70–79 | Aged 80–89 | Aged 90+ | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| n (%) | n (%)a | n (%) | n (%) | |
| n = 34,556 | n = 10,252 | n = 16,354 | n = 7950 | |
| Sex | ||||
| Female | 18,316 (53) | 4165 (41) | 8600 (53) | 5551 (70) |
| Male | 16,092 (47) | 6059 (59) | 7696 (47) | 2337 (29) |
| Unknown | 148 (0.4) | 28 (0.3) | 58 (0.4) | 62 (0.8) |
| Place of residence | ||||
| Major cities | 23,449 (68) | 6847 (67) | 11,167 (68) | 5435 (68) |
| Inner regional | 8308 (24) | 2507 (24) | 3933 (23) | 1868 (23) |
| Outer regional/Remote/Very remote | 2465 (7) | 814 (8) | 1120 (7) | 531 (7) |
| Unknown | 334 (1) | 84 (1) | 134 (1) | 116 (1) |
| Socioeconomic status | ||||
| Most disadvantaged quintile | 6492 (19) | 2169 (21) | 3026 (19) | 1297 (16) |
| Quintile 2 | 7596 (22) | 2539 (25) | 3468 (21) | 1589 (20) |
| Quintile 3 | 7744 (22) | 2262 (22) | 3695 (23) | 1787 (22) |
| Quintile 4 | 5939 (17) | 1664 (16) | 2916 (18) | 1359 (17) |
| Least disadvantaged quintile | 6417 (19) | 1524 (15) | 3099 (19) | 1794 (23) |
| Unknown | 368 (1) | 94 (1) | 150 (1) | 124 (2) |
| Marital status | ||||
| Never married | 1983 (6) | 783 (8) | 856 (5) | 344 (4) |
| Married (including de facto) | 12,677 (37) | 5414 (53) | 6040 (37) | 1223 (15) |
| Widowed | 13,690 (40) | 2300 (22) | 6835 (42) | 4555 (57) |
| Separated/Divorced | 1523 (4) | 805 (8) | 605 (4) | 113 (1) |
| Unknown | 4683 (14) | 950 (9) | 2018 (12) | 1715 (22) |
| Country of birth | ||||
| Australia | 25,671 (74) | 7432 (72) | 12,194 (75) | 6045 (76) |
| Other country | 8657 (25) | 2764 (27) | 4074 (25) | 1819 (23) |
| Unknown | 228 (1) | 56 (1) | 86 (1) | 86 (1) |
| In residential aged care facility prior to death | 10,462 (30) | 1952 (19) | 5308 (32) | 3202 (40) |
| Cause of death | ||||
| Disease of the circulatory system | 13,333 (39) | 2964 (29) | 6547 (40) | 3822 (48) |
| Cancer | 8615 (25) | 3932 (38) | 3769 (23) | 914 (11) |
| Disease of the respiratory system | 3127 (9) | 936 (9) | 1513 (9) | 678 (9) |
| Dementia | 1746 (5) | 227 (2) | 842 (5) | 677 (9) |
| Other known cause | 6525 (19) | 1868 (18) | 3136 (19) | 1521 (19) |
| Unknown cause | 1210 (4) | 325 (3) | 547 (3) | 338 (4) |
| Place of death | ||||
| Inpatient setting | 18,437(53) | 6581 (64) | 8770 (54) | 3086 (39) |
| Dead on arrival at ED | 835 (2) | 401 (4) | 361 (2) | 73 (1) |
| Other/sNot recorded | 15,284 (44) | 3270 (32) | 7223 (44) | 4791 (60) |
| For cancer deaths: | n = 8615 | n = 3932 | n = 3769 | n = 914 |
| Inpatient settingb | 5894 (68) | 2904 (74) | 2493 (66) | 497 (54) |
| Home | 1145 (13) | 579 (15) | 449 (12) | 117 (13) |
| RACF | 1240 (14) | 350 (9) | 660 (18) | 230 (25) |
ED emergency department, RACF Residential Aged Care Facility
aAll p-values from a chi-squared test for differences across age groups were < 0.0001, except p = 0.002 for “place of residence”
bIncludes death in hospital, hospice/palliative care ward of a hospital, or stand-alone hospice/palliative care unit