Population
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 Mid-Western Regional (A), accounting for 16.8% (300 people). This share was lower than Regional NSW (18.9%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in 75-84 year olds, which increased by 71 people and 0.7 percentage points.
Section overview
Need for assistance with core activities by age
Mid-Western Regional (A) - Persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises assistance for Mid-Western Regional (A) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Regional NSW and change since 2016.
Need for assistance with core activities by age snapshot
2021 distribution by category for Mid-Western Regional (A), with comparison markers for Regional NSW.
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
+5
+0.4pp
5-14
+63
+1.4pp
15-19
+32
+2.0pp
20-24
0
0.0pp
25-34
+17
+0.4pp
35-44
+8
0.0pp
45-54
-19
-0.4pp
55-64
+22
0.0pp
65-74
+27
+0.6pp
75-84
+71
+0.7pp
85+
+45
-0.8pp
Data table
Assistance for Mid-Western Regional (A). Need for assistance with core activities by age. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Regional NSW.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Regional NSW% | Count | % | Regional NSW% | Count | pp | |
| 0-4 | 17 | 1.1% | 1.6% | 12 | 0.7% | 1.3% | +5 | +0.4pp |
| 5-14 | 171 | 4.8% | 5.2% | 108 | 3.4% | 3.8% | +63 | +1.4pp |
| 15-19 | 58 | 4.0% | 4.2% | 26 | 2.0% | 3.2% | +32 | +2.0pp |
| 20-24 | 24 | 2.2% | 3.4% | 24 | 2.2% | 2.6% | 0 | 0.0pp |
| 25-34 | 67 | 2.3% | 2.6% | 50 | 1.9% | 2.4% | +17 | +0.4pp |
| 35-44 | 76 | 2.5% | 2.8% | 68 | 2.5% | 3.0% | +8 | 0.0pp |
| 45-54 | 125 | 3.8% | 4.2% | 144 | 4.2% | 4.4% | -19 | -0.4pp |
| 55-64 | 201 | 5.7% | 6.0% | 179 | 5.7% | 6.2% | +22 | 0.0pp |
| 65-74 | 248 | 8.4% | 9.1% | 221 | 7.8% | 8.7% | +27 | +0.6pp |
| 75-84 | 300 | 16.8% | 18.9% | 229 | 16.1% | 17.8% | +71 | +0.7pp |
| 85+ | 262 | 43.8% | 46.5% | 217 | 44.6% | 43.8% | +45 | -0.8pp |
| Total | 1,553 | 6.0% | 6.8% | 1,288 | 5.3% | 6.3% | +265 | +0.7pp |