Hospital care for patients aged 85 and over, 2014–15

In 2014–15, Acute care was the most common type of care (see Box 1) received by patients aged 85 and over (86%, 594,544), as it was for all separations for all ages (94%, 9,534,700) (Figure 10). Examples of acute care include curing illness or providing definitive treatment of an injury, and performing surgery or diagnostic or therapeutic procedures.

Fourteen per cent of separations for patients aged over 85 received sub-acute and non-acute care—9.0% were for Rehabilitation care (62,001 separations), 3.7% were for Geriatric evaluation and management, Maintenance care and Psychogeriatric care (25,265 separations), and 1.3% were for Palliative care (8,841) (Figure 10).

In 2014–15, there was a greater proportion of patients aged 85 and over receiving acute care in public hospitals (88%, 368,977) compared to private hospitals (83%, 225,567).

In private hospitals, Rehabilitation care (16.2%) was the second most frequent type of care received by these patients, and in contrast, accounted for 4.3% of the care received in public hospitals.

In public hospitals, Geriatric evaluation and management, Maintenance care and Psychogeriatric care together represented 5.7% of the care received by patients aged 85 and over, compared to 0.5% in private hospitals (Figure 11).