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, 85+ year olds was the most common age group among residents who needed assistance with core activities in Essendon North, accounting for 67% (59 people). This share was higher than Moonee Valley (C) (62.5%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in 65-74 year olds, which increased by 11 people and 1.6 percentage points.

Section overview

Need for assistance with core activities by age

Essendon North - Persons (Usual residence)

This table summarises need for assistance for Essendon North in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Moonee Valley (C) and change since 2016.

Need for assistance with core activities by age snapshot

2021 distribution by category for Essendon North, with comparison markers for Moonee Valley (C).

Essendon North

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

0-4

2021 count

5

2021 rate

3.5%

Change from 2016

+1.3pp

5-14

2021 count

12

2021 rate

4.1%

Change from 2016

+3.0pp

15-19

2021 count

5

2021 rate

3.4%

Change from 2016

+3.4pp

20-24

2021 count

0

2021 rate

0.0%

Change from 2016

-1.4pp

25-34

2021 count

9

2021 rate

1.6%

Change from 2016

+1.0pp

35-44

2021 count

8

2021 rate

1.6%

Change from 2016

+1.6pp

45-54

2021 count

10

2021 rate

2.4%

Change from 2016

-0.9pp

55-64

2021 count

13

2021 rate

4.2%

Change from 2016

+1.2pp

65-74

2021 count

30

2021 rate

11.1%

Change from 2016

+1.6pp

75-84

2021 count

32

2021 rate

23.2%

Change from 2016

-2.0pp

85+

2021 count

59

2021 rate

67.0%

Change from 2016

-3.7pp

Data table

Need for assistance for Essendon North. Need for assistance with core activities by age. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Moonee Valley (C).

Need for assistance for Essendon North. Need for assistance with core activities by age. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Moonee Valley (C).
Need for assistance for Essendon North. Need for assistance with core activities by age. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Moonee Valley (C).
Category20212016Change
Count%Moonee Valley (C)%Count%Moonee Valley (C)%Countpp
0-453.5%1.2%32.2%1.0%+2+1.3pp
5-14124.1%3.1%31.1%2.4%+9+3.0pp
15-1953.4%2.5%00.0%1.8%+5+3.4pp
20-2400.0%1.7%31.4%1.4%-3-1.4pp
25-3491.6%1.6%40.6%1.0%+5+1.0pp
35-4481.6%1.5%00.0%1.5%+8+1.6pp
45-54102.4%2.2%133.3%2.3%-3-0.9pp
55-64134.2%4.5%93.0%4.3%+4+1.2pp
65-743011.1%9.4%199.5%9.7%+11+1.6pp
75-843223.2%28.6%3425.2%25.8%-2-2.0pp
85+5967.0%62.5%6570.7%52.4%-6-3.7pp
Total1825.9%6.1%1575.3%5.2%+25+0.6pp