Examining a core assumption of policy and services for older Indigenous Australians

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In aged care service planning, the age 50 years or over is used for the Indigenous Australian population in the same way as the age 70 years is used for the non-Indigenous population. This is based on the lower life expectancy of the Indigenous population which is presumed to result in a need for aged care services at younger ages. The underlying assumption is that Australia's Indigenous population aged over 50 has the same set of age-associated conditions and care needs as the non-Indigenous population aged over 70. The evidence for this assumption is not established. It is well documented that the Indigenous population has worse health outcomes across all age groups relative to non-Indigenous Australians. However, our understanding of the details of the observed pattern is far from complete. This project seeks to compare the health status of the Indigenous population aged 50 years or over to the health status of the non-Indigenous population aged 70 years or over. The project will analyse a number of data sets to inform future directions in policy and service provision. A better understanding of these issues is fundamental to informed planning and allocation of resources, to identification of areas amenable to prevention strategies and to the development of approaches to care that meet the needs of Indigenous people.