Care Needs of Australians With Parkinson’s Disease Living in Residential Aged Care: An Observational Study

OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the proportion, demographic characteristics, and care needs of people with Parkinson's disease (PD) in Australian residential aged care facilities (RACFs). DESIGN: Retrospective observational study (2012-2022) and cross-sectional study (2022). SETTING AND PARTICIPANTS: Permanent residents with PD living in Australian RACF during 2012 to 2022. METHODS: Annual data, including demographic and clinical characteristics between 2012 and 2022, were obtained from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare National Aged Care Databases. The Aged Care Funding Instrument assessed care needs as high, medium, or low across 3 domains. Trends in the proportion and profile of residents with PD over time were reported descriptively, together with cross-sectional data from residents in 2022. Joinpoint regression analysis was used to explore changes in the proportion of PD over time. The associations between demographic and clinical factors and high care needs and the associations between sex and dementia, depression, and anxiety were examined in the 2022 cohort using logistic regression. RESULTS: From 2012 to 2022, the number of residents with PD increased from 8962 to 10,024, representing a within-RACF proportion of 5.5% in 2022. The percentage of residents with high care needs increased over this period in all Aged Care Funding Instrument domains (activities of daily living: 63%-85%; behavior: 55%-68%; and complex health care: 39%-68%). In 2022, 51% of residents with PD were male, and 66% were aged ≥80 years. The proportion of PD was higher among males (8.4% vs 4.1% females), and they were more likely to have dementia compared with females (odds ratio, 1.6; 95% CI, 1.5-1.7). Age was not associated with high activities of daily living or complex health care needs. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The population of residents with PD in RACFs is growing, with increasing levels of disability and comorbid health conditions. These findings highlight the need for evolving care models, workforce development, and planning to meet the growing demand for services.