Objective: To evaluate the prevalence, demographic characteristics and care needs of people with Parkinson’s disease (PD) living permanently in residential aged care facilities (RACF) in Australia over 2012–2022.

Background: The prevalence of PD is increasing rapidly and many individuals with advanced PD transition to RACF.  This group has complex healthcare needs that require specialised nursing and multidisciplinary support. Understanding the profile of Australians with PD in RACF provides opportunities to identify resources needed for appropriate service provision.

Method: Permanent residents in RACF with PD were identified using medical diagnosis codes from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare National Aged Care Databases across 2012-2022. Demographic characteristics included age and sex. Care needs were extracted from the Aged Care Funding Instrument, a tool that rates three domains, Activities of Daily Living (ADL), Behaviour (BEH) and Complex Health Care (CHC) as high, medium or low.  Comorbid health conditions and mental and behavioural disorders were identified. Descriptive data analyses examined trends in the proportion and profile of residents with PD over time and cross-sectional data described resident profiles in 2022.

Results: Across 2012-2022, the population with PD in RACF increased from 8,962 to 10,024 (+12%), reflecting prevalence within RACF rising to 5.5%. The proportion of residents with high care needs increased over this period; ADL: 63% to 85%, BEH: 55% to 68%, CHC: 39% to 68%, reflecting greater physical dependence, cognitive impairment and need for specialised nursing care. In 2022, 51% of residents with PD were male and 66% were aged ≥ 80 years with the highest prevalence of those aged 75-79 (8.7%). The prevalence of PD was higher among males (8.4%) compared to females (4.1%). Almost all residents required physical assistance to transfer, walk and eat. Over 60% of individuals had depression and 54% had dementia. The most frequent co-morbid conditions were arthritis (35%) and pain (23%).

Conclusion: The population of residents with PD in RACF is growing, with increasing levels of disability and co-morbid mental and physical health conditions. To ensure high quality care, the Aged Care Workforce requires comprehensive PD education and inclusion of expert multi-disciplinary teams. Care models and workforce development must evolve and plan to meet the growing demand for services.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/planning-for-the-parkinsons-pandemic-care-needs-in-australian-residential-aged-care-facilities/