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

在老年护理服务规划中，50岁或以上的年龄用于澳大利亚土著人口，就像70岁的年龄用于非土著人口一样。这是基于土著人口的预期寿命较低，据推测，这导致需要在较年轻的年龄提供老年护理服务。潜在的假设是，澳大利亚50岁以上的土著人口与70岁以上的非土著人口具有相同的年龄相关条件和护理需求。这一假设的证据还没有得到证实。有充分证据表明，与非土著澳大利亚人相比，土著人口在所有年龄组的健康状况都较差。然而，我们对观察到的模式的细节的理解还远远不够。该项目旨在比较50岁或以上土著人口的健康状况与70岁或以上非土著人口的健康状况。该项目将分析一些数据集，为政策和服务提供的未来方向提供信息。更好地了解这些问题对于知情的规划和资源分配、确定适合实施预防战略的领域以及制定满足土著人民需要的护理办法至关重要。

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.