Home Care Services
Report highlights gender gap in home care services take up
Older women are much more likely to use a home care package than men, making up two out of three community aged care consumers, new data from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare shows.
Women were also greater users of home care packages at all ages and across all levels of packages, the report found.
The data released by the AIHW this month highlights calls by men’s health advocates to address the barriers older men experience to using services more frequently. Community Care Review has previously reported on the underutilisation of aged care services by men and the need for new service strategies to better target this cohort.
According to the report, one-quarter of all home care clients were born in a non-English speaking country and 3.8 per cent identified as indigenous.
The average age of recipients was 82.3.
However, overall only 2.5 per cent of people over 65 received a package of care in their home.
