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 The Hills Shire (A), accounting for 18.3% (1,595 people). This share was lower than Greater Sydney (23.1%). Since 2016, the biggest change was in 75-84 year olds, which increased by 548 people, while its share fell by 0.2 percentage points.
Section overview
Need for assistance with core activities by age
The Hills Shire (A) - Persons (Usual residence)
This table summarises need for assistance for The Hills Shire (A) in 2021 for persons, with comparison against Greater Sydney and change since 2016.
Need for assistance with core activities by age snapshot
2021 distribution by category for The Hills Shire (A), with comparison markers for Greater Sydney.
Bars reflect 2021 counts; benchmark rates remain in the metrics.
0-4
2021 count
124
2021 rate
1.1%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
124
1.1%
+0.3pp
5-14
2021 count
691
2021 rate
2.3%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
691
2.3%
+0.3pp
15-19
2021 count
291
2021 rate
2.2%
Change from 2016
+0.3pp
291
2.2%
+0.3pp
20-24
2021 count
214
2021 rate
1.9%
Change from 2016
+0.4pp
214
1.9%
+0.4pp
25-34
2021 count
293
2021 rate
1.5%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
293
1.5%
+0.1pp
35-44
2021 count
325
2021 rate
1.1%
Change from 2016
0.0pp
325
1.1%
0.0pp
45-54
2021 count
389
2021 rate
1.4%
Change from 2016
-0.1pp
389
1.4%
-0.1pp
55-64
2021 count
579
2021 rate
2.8%
Change from 2016
+0.2pp
579
2.8%
+0.2pp
65-74
2021 count
1,152
2021 rate
6.8%
Change from 2016
+1.4pp
1,152
6.8%
+1.4pp
75-84
2021 count
1,595
2021 rate
18.3%
Change from 2016
-0.2pp
1,595
18.3%
-0.2pp
85+
2021 count
1,460
2021 rate
51.3%
Change from 2016
+0.1pp
1,460
51.3%
+0.1pp
Chart view
Need for assistance with core activities by age change
Absolute change in category counts between 2016 and 2021.
0-4
+48
+0.3pp
5-14
+213
+0.3pp
15-19
+81
+0.3pp
20-24
+72
+0.4pp
25-34
+60
+0.1pp
35-44
+72
0.0pp
45-54
+42
-0.1pp
55-64
+98
+0.2pp
65-74
+424
+1.4pp
75-84
+548
-0.2pp
85+
+436
+0.1pp
Data table
Need for assistance for The Hills Shire (A). Need for assistance with core activities by age. 2021 and 2016 counts, percentages, and change compared with Greater Sydney.
| Category | 2021 | 2016 | Change | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Count | % | Greater Sydney% | Count | % | Greater Sydney% | Count | pp | |
| 0-4 | 124 | 1.1% | 1.3% | 76 | 0.8% | 1.1% | +48 | +0.3pp |
| 5-14 | 691 | 2.3% | 3.4% | 478 | 2.0% | 2.7% | +213 | +0.3pp |
| 15-19 | 291 | 2.2% | 2.7% | 210 | 1.9% | 2.2% | +81 | +0.3pp |
| 20-24 | 214 | 1.9% | 1.8% | 142 | 1.5% | 1.5% | +72 | +0.4pp |
| 25-34 | 293 | 1.5% | 1.3% | 233 | 1.4% | 1.2% | +60 | +0.1pp |
| 35-44 | 325 | 1.1% | 1.6% | 253 | 1.1% | 1.8% | +72 | 0.0pp |
| 45-54 | 389 | 1.4% | 2.9% | 347 | 1.5% | 3.2% | +42 | -0.1pp |
| 55-64 | 579 | 2.8% | 5.5% | 481 | 2.6% | 5.7% | +98 | +0.2pp |
| 65-74 | 1,152 | 6.8% | 10.5% | 728 | 5.4% | 9.9% | +424 | +1.4pp |
| 75-84 | 1,595 | 18.3% | 23.1% | 1,047 | 18.5% | 23.4% | +548 | -0.2pp |
| 85+ | 1,460 | 51.3% | 48.7% | 1,024 | 51.2% | 50.4% | +436 | +0.1pp |
| Total | 7,108 | 3.7% | 5.2% | 5,025 | 3.2% | 4.9% | +2,083 | +0.5pp |