Setting the Scene

• Back to Publications • Back to Contents • Previous • Next

• Setting the scene
• Department of Veterans' Affairs demographics
• Facts and costs of falls

Setting the scene

Nobody grows old by merely living a certain number of years - people grow old by deserting their ideals. You are as young as your self confidence, as old as your fear, as young as your hope, as old as your despair.

- General Douglas Macarthur

Australia’s population is ageing. In 1998, there were 2.3 million Australians (or 12% of the population) aged 65 years and over. By 2051 the number of older people is projected to rise to 6 million (or 24% of the population).

Figure 1. The projected increase in the percentage of Australians older than 65 years over the next fifty years

There are major changes taking place in the demographic make-up of the population which have potentially significant implications for the sport and recreation sector:

• In 1997, the total number of Australians aged 45+ was 6,022,000.

• Half of the 70,000 Australians who are retiring from full time work each year are doing so between the ages of 45 and 59 years.

• In the next two decades, the proportion of Australia’s population over 65 years will grow from 12% to more than 16%. This means an increase from 2.2 million people in 1996 to about 3.5 million by 2016.

• By 2036, it is estimated that there will be 5.2 million Australians over 65 years, constituting 21.3% of the population.

• The internal structure of the older population is also changing. In the next 20 years, the number of people in Australia aged over 80 is expected to grow by 63% from just under 500,000 in 1996 (or one in five older people) to about 800,000 people by 2016 (one in four).

• Back to Top

Department of Veterans’ Affairs demographics

• There are more than 515,000 war veterans and war widow(er)s currently living in Australia.

• The Department of Veterans’ Affairs provides health care to 350,000 of these veterans and war widow(ers) (the ‘treatment population’), of which 235,000 are male and 115,000 female.

• Most veterans and war widows are now over 70 years and within a few years 60% will be over 75 years.

• War veterans make up around one-third of the Australian male population over 75 years.

• In 1997 women comprised 30% of the treatment population. By 2007 this will increase to 42%.

Facts and costs of falls

Falls are a common cause of injury to older people and result in significant levels of mortality, long-term disability, loss of confidence and costly institutionalisation. Regular physical activity improves balance, muscle strength and osteoporosis which is a significant risk factor for falls.

It means better quality of life, protection against accidental falls, reduction in fear of falling and maintaining independent living. Independent living has been identified within the Department of Veterans’ Affairs veteran community as a high ranking desire with 93% of veterans and carers surveyed in a 1997–98 survey wanting to remain living in their own homes.

• One in three Australians over the age of 65 will fall at least once a year. In Australia in 1997, falls by people aged 65 years and over caused 985 deaths and more than 32,000 injuries requiring admission to hospital.

• Falls among people 55 years and over cost an estimated $2.5 billion each year.

• Five per cent of these falls result in significant injuries.

• In 1993/94, fall costs were more than double the cost of road traffic accidents and accounted for 13% of total injury costs in health expenditure.

• The cost of admission to hospital as a result of a single fall is $45,000. Overall, the cost of acute hospital care for falls-related injuries in Australia will increase to $238.4 million in 2001 from a cost of $20 million in 1986.

• Seventeen per cent of this group discharge to a nursing home where the yearly cost to the Commonwealth is just under $26,000 per person.

• Studies have shown that experiencing a fall is the single greatest fear of the elderly.

• Back to Top

Research has found that older adults with an active lifestyle feel healthier. As little as 30 minutes of moderate exercise on most days of the week can result in improved health and well-being. This can include walking, dancing, swimming or even vigorous housework and the 30 minutes can be broken up into periods of 10 or 15 minutes to begin with.

The benefits of exercising include reducing the risk of heart disease, stroke, colon cancer and diabetes. Other benefits include stronger bones, less risk of injury through falls, more supple joints, improved breathing and weight control. Exercising in a group can also improve interpersonal skills and reduce the risk of social isolation.

Note: ‘Older Australians’ is a broad descriptive term used in this resource. Within specific sports, physical activity groups and the broader community other terms are used for various age groups. These include:

• ‘Veterans’ - eg in athletics, women competitors 35 years and older and male competitors 40 years and older are described as veterans*.

• ‘Masters’ - eg in cycling this refers to participants 35 years and older.

• ‘Seniors’ - eg in golf this refers to players older than 55 years, while in the broader community a person is eligible for a ‘Seniors health card’ if they are of age pensionable age.

• ‘AUSSI Masters Swimming’ - while the age of eligibility for this organisation is 20 years, competition is organised in five year age groups from 25 years up.

• ‘mature aged’ - this term is used in a variety of settings and can refer to a range of age groups depending on the context.

* The term ‘veterans’, when used in relation to the Department of Veterans’ Affairs population, refers to war veterans who served Australia through numerous conflicts including World War I, World War II, Korea, Vietnam and various peacekeeping operations.