Population

Need for assistance

About this topic

Need for assistance measures people who report needing help with self-care, body movement, or communication because of a disability, a long-term health condition, or older age. It is a high-needs indicator rather than a general measure of disability.

This topic is useful for planning accessible facilities, care services, respite, and support for carers. The measure is based on self-report in the Census, so it should be interpreted with care and read alongside unpaid care and other disability-related indicators.

Interpretation notes

  • The measure is self-reported and records need for help with core activities, so it is not a complete measure of disability prevalence.
  • It applies to all persons and is strongest as an indicator of higher support need when read with unpaid care and ageing data.

Key insight

In 2021, 75-84 year olds was the most common age group among residents who needed assistance with core activities in Watsonia, accounting for 24.3% (72 people). This share was higher than Banyule (C) (20.6%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in 85+ year olds, which increased by 14 people and 11 percentage points.

Section overview

Need for assistance with core activities by age

Watsonia - Persons (Usual residence)

This table summarises need for assistance for Watsonia in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Banyule (C) and change since 2016.

Need for assistance with core activities by age snapshot

2021 distribution by category for Watsonia, with comparison markers for Banyule (C).

Watsonia

Bars reflect 2021 counts; benchmark rates remain in the metrics.

0-4

2021 count

0

2021 rate

0.0%

Change from 2016

-1.7pp

5-14

2021 count

32

2021 rate

5.1%

Change from 2016

+0.5pp

15-19

2021 count

10

2021 rate

3.7%

Change from 2016

-2.7pp

20-24

2021 count

11

2021 rate

4.8%

Change from 2016

-0.8pp

25-34

2021 count

27

2021 rate

3.3%

Change from 2016

+0.7pp

35-44

2021 count

19

2021 rate

2.2%

Change from 2016

-0.6pp

45-54

2021 count

35

2021 rate

5.0%

Change from 2016

+0.1pp

55-64

2021 count

40

2021 rate

6.8%

Change from 2016

-0.5pp

65-74

2021 count

47

2021 rate

10.7%

Change from 2016

+0.7pp

75-84

2021 count

72

2021 rate

24.3%

Change from 2016

+2.4pp

85+

2021 count

71

2021 rate

49.3%

Change from 2016

+11.0pp

Data table

Need for assistance for Watsonia. Need for assistance with core activities by age. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Banyule (C).

Need for assistance for Watsonia. Need for assistance with core activities by age. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Banyule (C).
Need for assistance for Watsonia. Need for assistance with core activities by age. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Banyule (C).
Category20212016Change
Count%Banyule (C)%Count%Banyule (C)%Countpp
0-400.0%1.0%61.7%1.2%-6-1.7pp
5-14325.1%3.7%284.6%3.0%+4+0.5pp
15-19103.7%3.6%176.4%2.5%-7-2.7pp
20-24114.8%2.2%155.6%1.8%-4-0.8pp
25-34273.3%2.1%202.6%1.6%+7+0.7pp
35-44192.2%1.8%242.8%1.9%-5-0.6pp
45-54355.0%3.0%334.9%3.1%+2+0.1pp
55-64406.8%4.9%407.3%4.3%0-0.5pp
65-744710.7%8.3%3810.0%7.1%+9+0.7pp
75-847224.3%20.6%7521.9%18.9%-3+2.4pp
85+7149.3%54.2%5738.3%45.7%+14+11.0pp
Total3616.7%5.9%3586.9%5.0%+3-0.2pp