Changes in Aged Care Residents’ Characteristics and Dependency in Auckland 1988 to 2008. Findings from OPAL 10/9/8 Older Persons’ Ability Level Census

Abstract

Are older people in aged care facilities frailer and more dependent now than in previous years? Many aged residential care (ARC) providers in New Zealand report that the dependency levels of their residents have increased considerably in recent years, yet there is little longitudinal evidence to support this perception (Kiata, Kerse, & Dixon, 2005). The purpose of the 2008 Older Persons’ Ability Level (OPAL 10/9/8) study was to evaluate the demographics and dependency of the current generation in aged residential care. Since 1988, four dependency census surveys provided data describing all ARC residents in the Auckland region. These studies were conducted in 1988, 1993, 1998, and 2008. They were performed by the Academic Section of Geriatric Medicine (1988, 1993, & 1998) and the Freemasons’ Department of Geriatric Medicine (2008) from The University of Auckland (Bonita, et al., 1990a; Bonita, et al., 1990b; Broad, et al., 1995a; Wood, et al., 1998a; Wood, et al., 1998b). The same assessment tool and similar protocols were used for each of the studies providing a 20-year span of comparable resident dependency data.