Trends in the incidence of aged care program utilisation by older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, 2010–2019

Objective: To study the trends in incident aged care service use among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians. Methods: Annual incidence of aged care use among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (2010–2019) were evaluated using the Registry of Senior Australians Historical Cohort and Australian Bureau of Statistics population estimates. Trends were examined by incident rate ratios (IRRs) using Poisson or negative binomial regression adjusted for age, sex and remoteness. Results: Among 15,106 individuals, incident aged care assessments increased from 10.6/1000 [95% confidence interval [CI]: 9.7–11.1) in 2010 to 14.6/1000 (95%CI: 14.0–15.2) in 2019 (IRR=1.04/year, 95%CI: 1.03–1.05). Incident aged care service use increased from 7.4/1000 (95%CI: 6.8–8.0) to 9.7/1000 (95%CI: 9.2–10.2; IRR=1.02/year, 95%CI: 1.01–1.03). Increases occurred in metropolitan and regional areas, with the greatest increase observed for home care packages (≥8% annually). In remote areas, the use of home care packages decreased by ≥5% annually. Conclusions: Increased use of aged care programs is encouraging. However, declining use in remote areas highlight the need for improved access to aged care. Implications for Public Health: Equitable access and use of aged care services will require the reforms underway to incorporate Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander preferences for aged care.