Need for assistance
/v1/lga/{lga_name}/area-stats/need-for-assistance5¢ per callHow many residents need help with everyday activities because of disability, long-term illness or old age, overall and among residents aged 65 and over, for every suburb and council area.
Coverage: About 11,000 suburbs and localities and 545 council areas across Australia, in all states and territories (areas with too few people or homes for reliable figures are left out); one snapshot at 10 August 2021. Current to 2021-08-10. Full description, field list and method: /v1/datasets/need-for-assistance.
Authorization
Request
The only values you send. Fields under Responses below are what comes back — you never pass those.
Path parameters
lga_namestringrequiredCouncil (LGA) name exactly as /v1/lga/list returns it, e.g. `Lake Macquarie`.
Query parameters
fieldsstringoptionalComma-separated subset of: total_population, need_assistance_count, need_assistance_pct, no_need_assistance_count, no_need_assistance_pct, need_assistance_not_stated_count, need_assistance_not_stated_pct, total_aged_65_plus, aged_65_plus_need_assistance_count, aged_65_plus_need_assistance_pct. Omit for all.
fromstringoptionalFirst period to include: 2020, 2020-Q3, 2020-07 or 2020-07-01.
tostringoptionalLast period to include, same formats as `from`.
Responses
Successful Response
datasetstringalways returnedDataset slug; describe it with /v1/datasets/{slug}.
levelstringalways returnedsuburb, lga or block.
areastringalways returnedCanonical name (or mesh-block code) of the area answered.
period_typestringalways returnedsnapshot, year, financial_year, quarter or month.
as_ofstring · datealways returnedDate the dataset is current to. Values are never withheld for age; check this instead.
modelledbooleanalways returnedTrue when the figures are estimates from a model rather than counts or measurements.
fieldsarray of DatasetFieldSeriesalways returned/v1/lga/{lga_name}/area-stats/need-for-assistancecurl --request GET \
--url 'https://api.microburbs.com.au/v1/lga/Lake%20Macquarie/area-stats/need-for-assistance' \
--header 'Authorization: Bearer test'{
"data": {
"dataset": "need-for-assistance",
"level": "lga",
"area": "Waverley",
"period_type": "snapshot",
"as_of": "2021-08-10",
"modelled": false,
"fields": [
{
"field": "total_population",
"name": "Total residents",
"unit": "persons",
"values": [
{
"period": "2021-08-10",
"period_start": "2021-08-10",
"value": 68605
}
]
},
{
"field": "need_assistance_count",
"name": "Need assistance with core activities",
"unit": "persons",
"values": [
{
"period": "2021-08-10",
"period_start": "2021-08-10",
"value": 1951
}
]
},
{
"field": "need_assistance_pct",
"name": "Need assistance with core activities: share of residents",
"unit": "%",
"values": [
{
"period": "2021-08-10",
"period_start": "2021-08-10",
"value": 2.84
}
]
}
]
}
}About this dataset
About 11,000 suburbs and localities and 545 council areas across Australia, in all states and territories (areas with too few people or homes for reliable figures are left out); one snapshot at 10 August 2021. Current to 2021-08-10; refreshed five-yearly.
What it is
Residents who need someone's help with self-care, getting around or communicating because of a disability, a long-term health condition or old age, as reported on 10 August 2021, for every suburb and council area, for all residents and for residents aged 65 and over.
What it shows
Residents who need assistance, who do not, and who did not say, each as a head-count and as a share of all residents; and the same need among residents aged 65 and over as a share of that age group. Counts and shares are separate fields (for example need_assistance_count and need_assistance_pct).
Why use it
Need for assistance is the standard measure of severe or profound disability in an area. Use it to plan disability, home-care and aged-care services, to place accessible housing or a care facility, to size the market for mobility aids and home modifications, to judge demand for carers, or to add a disability profile to a suburb report. Nationally about 5.8% of residents need assistance, rising to about 18% of those aged 65 and over.
How it is built
Need for assistance is self-reported for the core activities of self-care, mobility and communication. The all-ages base is all residents, including those who did not answer. The 65-and-over fields add the 65 to 74, 75 to 84 and 85 and over age groups. Areas with fewer than 50 people in a base are left out of that part. Our 2021 area statistics, matched to our suburb and council-area names. Figures are a snapshot at 10 August 2021 (the latest full count), so they describe the area then, not today. To protect privacy the source lightly randomises small numbers, so a count of 0, 3 or 6 can be approximate and shares in small areas jump around: check the base field before trusting a percentage. Shares are rounded to two decimals and capped at 100.
Fields
| Field | Unit | Description |
|---|---|---|
total_populationTotal residents | persons | All residents counted in the area on 10 August 2021, the base for the all-ages shares. |
need_assistance_countNeed assistance with core activities | persons | Number of residents in the area who: Need assistance with core activities (2021 snapshot). Small counts are lightly randomised for privacy. |
need_assistance_pctNeed assistance with core activities: share of residents | % | Need assistance with core activities as a percent of all residents in the area. |
no_need_assistance_countDo not need assistance with core activities | persons | Number of residents in the area who: Do not need assistance with core activities (2021 snapshot). Small counts are lightly randomised for privacy. |
no_need_assistance_pctDo not need assistance with core activities: share of residents | % | Do not need assistance with core activities as a percent of all residents in the area. |
need_assistance_not_stated_countDid not state need for assistance | persons | Number of residents in the area who: Did not state need for assistance (2021 snapshot). Small counts are lightly randomised for privacy. |
need_assistance_not_stated_pctDid not state need for assistance: share of residents | % | Did not state need for assistance as a percent of all residents in the area. |
total_aged_65_plusResidents aged 65 and over | persons | Residents aged 65 and over, the base for the 65-and-over share. |
aged_65_plus_need_assistance_countNeed assistance with core activities | persons | Number of residents aged 65 and over in the area who: Need assistance with core activities (2021 snapshot). Small counts are lightly randomised for privacy. |
aged_65_plus_need_assistance_pctNeed assistance with core activities: share of residents aged 65 and over | % | Need assistance with core activities as a percent of all residents aged 65 and over in the area. |
