Population
Assistance
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.
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, 85+ year olds was the most common age group among residents who needed assistance with core activities in Gloucester, accounting for 42% (74 people). This share was lower than Mid-Coast (A) (45.4%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in 65-74 year olds, which increased by 30 people and 3.9 percentage points.
Section overview
Need for assistance with core activities by age
Gloucester - Persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises assistance for Gloucester in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Mid-Coast (A) and change since 2016.
Need for assistance with core activities by age snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Gloucester, with comparison markers for Mid-Coast (A).
Bars reflect 2021 counts; benchmark rates remain in the metrics.
0-4
5-14
15-19
20-24
25-34
35-44
45-54
55-64
65-74
75-84
85+
Chart view
Need for assistance with core activities by age change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
0-4
-2
-0.5pp
5-14
+1
+0.3pp
15-19
+9
+6.2pp
20-24
0
0.0pp
25-34
-2
-0.9pp
35-44
+3
+0.7pp
45-54
+3
+1.3pp
55-64
+12
+2.1pp
65-74
+30
+3.9pp
75-84
0
-2.1pp
85+
+13
-1.9pp
Data table
Assistance for Gloucester. Need for assistance with core activities by age. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Mid-Coast (A).
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Mid-Coast (A)% | Count | % | Mid-Coast (A)% | Count | pp | |
| 0-4 | 3 | 2.5% | 1.7% | 5 | 3.0% | 1.2% | -2 | -0.5pp |
| 5-14 | 15 | 4.4% | 5.0% | 14 | 4.1% | 4.5% | +1 | +0.3pp |
| 15-19 | 9 | 6.2% | 4.9% | 0 | 0.0% | 4.3% | +9 | +6.2pp |
| 20-24 | 0 | 0.0% | 5.4% | 0 | 0.0% | 5.2% | 0 | 0.0pp |
| 25-34 | 7 | 3.0% | 4.2% | 9 | 3.9% | 4.1% | -2 | -0.9pp |
| 35-44 | 13 | 4.5% | 4.2% | 10 | 3.8% | 4.9% | +3 | +0.7pp |
| 45-54 | 18 | 5.5% | 5.6% | 15 | 4.2% | 6.0% | +3 | +1.3pp |
| 55-64 | 38 | 8.1% | 7.3% | 26 | 6.0% | 7.5% | +12 | +2.1pp |
| 65-74 | 63 | 11.0% | 9.3% | 33 | 7.1% | 9.4% | +30 | +3.9pp |
| 75-84 | 40 | 11.5% | 18.1% | 40 | 13.6% | 15.6% | 0 | -2.1pp |
| 85+ | 74 | 42.0% | 45.4% | 61 | 43.9% | 39.1% | +13 | -1.9pp |
| Total | 286 | 9.1% | 9.0% | 214 | 7.2% | 8.2% | +72 | +1.9pp |