Variation by SA4 region
This section presents a summary of geographical variation in the use of health services and residential respite care among people living with dementia by Statistical Area Level 4 (SA4) region. SA4 regions represent labour markets, with populations between 100,000 people (in regional areas) and 500,000 people (in capital cities). SA4s are named for the areas they represent, for example, a centre within a capital city (such as Sydney – Blacktown), a large regional city (such as Bendigo), or a collection of regional areas (such as Darling Downs – Maranoa).
As health service use changes after a person enters permanent residential aged care, results are shown by whether people living with dementia were living in the community or living in permanent residential aged care.
See the Technical guide for more information on the dementia study cohorts, geographies and services examined.
The number of people identified with dementia in the linked data is shown in a map of SA4 regions (Figure 4.1) and interactive maps exploring variation in the use of health services and residential respite care services by SA4 regions are shown in figures 4.2–4.5.