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, 65-74 year olds was the most common age group among residents who needed assistance with core activities in Cambridge Park, accounting for 13.4% (84 people). This share was higher than Penrith (C) (11.3%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in 5-14 year olds, which increased by 73 people and 5 percentage points.

Section overview

Need for assistance with core activities by age

Cambridge Park - Persons (Usual residence)

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

Need for assistance with core activities by age snapshot

2021 distribution by category for Cambridge Park, with comparison markers for Penrith (C).

Cambridge Park

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

0-4

2021 count

11

2021 rate

2.1%

Change from 2016

0.0pp

5-14

2021 count

82

2021 rate

8.1%

Change from 2016

+5.0pp

15-19

2021 count

23

2021 rate

5.1%

Change from 2016

-0.3pp

20-24

2021 count

23

2021 rate

4.5%

Change from 2016

-2.2pp

25-34

2021 count

33

2021 rate

3.0%

Change from 2016

+1.0pp

35-44

2021 count

26

2021 rate

2.9%

Change from 2016

+1.2pp

45-54

2021 count

52

2021 rate

6.2%

Change from 2016

+0.3pp

55-64

2021 count

57

2021 rate

8.1%

Change from 2016

+1.8pp

65-74

2021 count

84

2021 rate

13.4%

Change from 2016

+2.0pp

75-84

2021 count

49

2021 rate

16.3%

Change from 2016

-2.3pp

85+

2021 count

35

2021 rate

43.8%

Change from 2016

+13.8pp

Data table

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

Need for assistance for Cambridge Park. Need for assistance with core activities by age. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Penrith (C).
Need for assistance for Cambridge Park. Need for assistance with core activities by age. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Penrith (C).
Category20212016Change
Count%Penrith (C)%Count%Penrith (C)%Countpp
0-4112.1%1.8%32.1%1.5%+80.0pp
5-14828.1%5.6%93.1%4.4%+73+5.0pp
15-19235.1%3.8%75.4%3.1%+16-0.3pp
20-24234.5%2.7%86.7%2.3%+15-2.2pp
25-34333.0%2.1%62.0%1.8%+27+1.0pp
35-44262.9%2.4%51.7%2.5%+21+1.2pp
45-54526.2%3.9%145.9%3.7%+38+0.3pp
55-64578.1%6.4%176.3%6.1%+40+1.8pp
65-748413.4%11.3%1911.4%11.0%+65+2.0pp
75-844916.3%23.8%818.6%25.7%+41-2.3pp
85+3543.8%45.7%330.0%58.0%+32+13.8pp
Total4656.6%5.5%944.7%5.2%+371+1.9pp