Table 1.
Demographics and client characteristics of 1141 older adults receiving aged care services
| Characteristic | n (%) |
|---|---|
| Gender | |
| Female | 862 (75.5) |
| Male | 279 (24.5) |
| Missing | 4 (0.4) |
| Age | |
| Mean [SD] | 81.5 [7.9] |
| 60–69 | 62 (6.0) |
| 70–79 | 368 (35.6) |
| 80–89 | 426 (41.2) |
| ≥ 90 years | 179 (17.3) |
| Relationship status | |
| Living with someone | 388 (34.0) |
| Living alone | 506 (44.3) |
| Missing | 247 (21.6) |
| Country of birth | |
| English speaking country | 684 (59.9) |
| Non-English speaking country | 457 (40.1) |
| Remotenessa | |
| Major city | 902 (79.1) |
| Inner regional | 157 (13.8) |
| Outer regional/remote | 82 (7.2) |
| Socio-economic status | |
| 1 (lowest) | 119 (10.4) |
| 2 | 134 (11.7) |
| 3 | 79 (6.9) |
| 4 | 57 (5.0) |
| 5 | 57 (5.0) |
| 6 | 97 (8.5) |
| 7 | 36 (3.2) |
| 8 | 76 (6.4) |
| 9 | 107 (9.4) |
| 10 (highest) | 383 (33.5) |
| Pension status | |
| Pension | 980 (85.9) |
| No pension | 86 (7.5) |
| Missing | 75 (6.6) |
| Funding packageb | |
| Entry-level care | 914 (80.1) |
| More complex care | 198 (17.4) |
| Private/Veterans | 7 (0.7) |
| Services | |
| ean number of services [SD] | 1.37 [0.9] |
| Mean service hours per week [SD] | 5.1 [3.9] |
| Used servicec | |
| Day Centre | 660 (63.8) |
| Domestic Assistance | 131 (12.7) |
| Social Support | 84 (8.1) |
| Personal Care | 54 (5.2) |
| Shopping | 53 (5.1) |
| Respite Care | 39 (3.8) |
| Meal Preparation | 28 (2.7) |
| Outings | 16 (1.5) |
| Allied Health Therapy | 9 (0.9) |
| Medication Assistance | 8 (0.8) |
| Service Type Clusterd | |
| Day Centre | 844 (81.5) |
| Social Support | 151 (14.6) |
| Outings | 40 (3.9) |
| Number of ADLs needing helpe | |
| 0 | 521 (50.3) |
| 1 | 37 (3.6) |
| 2 | 14 (1.4) |
| 3 | 5 (0.05) |
| 4 | 4 (0.04) |
| 5 | 4 (0.4) |
| Missing | 450 (43.5) |
| Number of IADLs needing helpf | |
| 0 | 349 (33.7) |
| 1 | 93 (9.0) |
| 2 | 57 (5.5) |
| 3 | 55 (5.3) |
| 4 | 53 (3.2) |
| 5 | 17 (1.6) |
| Missing | 431 (41.6) |
| Number of unmet needsg | |
| 0 | 157 (46.2) |
| 1 | 53 (15.6) |
| 2 | 24 (7.1) |
| 3 | 25 (7.4) |
| 4 | 8 (2.4) |
| 5 | 1 (0.3) |
| Missing | 72 (21.2) |
| Quality of life [SD] | 0.81 [0.15] |
| Social Participation [SD] | 3.58 [1.87] |
aAccessibility/Remoteness Index of Australia and Index of Relative Socio-economic Advantage and Disadvantage based on each person’s suburb or postcode if no matched suburb. bMore complex care defined by clients receiving Home Care Package, and entry-level care defined by clients receiving Commonwealth Home Support Package (CHSP). cTen most commonly used services only; other services used were nursing services, assessment, coordination and advocacy. dA profile of service types used by each cluster can be found in Additional file 1. eADLs consisted of bathing, dressing, eating, walking and toileting. Number refers to the number of assistance with ADLs fIADLs consisted of doing housework, getting backs, shopping, taking medicine, and handling money. Number refers to the number of needs of assistance with IADLs. gNumbers and percentage presented for the category “Has need and not provided by service” only