Mortality in the first year of aged care services in Australia

Objective: To examine the one-year mortality of Australians entering aged care services compared with the general population. Methods: A population-based analysis evaluating one-year mortality among people who received first ever aged care services in 2013 compared with the general population was conducted. Results: In 2013, 3.3 million Australians were ≥ 65 years and 34 919 (1%) entered permanent residential care, 23 288 (0.7%) respite care, 20 265 (0.6%) commenced home care packages, and 15 387 (0.5%) transition care. Individuals receiving aged care services had higher mortality than the general population, with those entering permanent residential care (age and sex direct standardised mortality rate ratio = 10.1, 95% CI: 9.8-10.5) having the greatest difference, followed by people accessing respite (7.2, 95% CI: 6.9-7.6), transition (4.6, 95% CI: 4.4-4.9) and home care (4.1, 95% CI: 3.9-4.4). Significant variation by sex and age was observed. Conclusion: Our study has identified significant variations in mortality rates that highlight which cohorts entering aged care are the most vulnerable.