4409.3 - Ageing Well, Persons Aged Fifty Years And Over, Queensland, 2005  
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 21/07/2005   
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MEDIA RELEASE

July 21, 2005
Embargoed: 11:30 AM (AEST)
85/2005

Ageing well: Snapshot of older Queenslanders

Most older Queenslanders own their own homes and go out to cafes, restaurants and bars, according to an article released today by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

The article, Ageing well, Queensland also found that our state's older people also spent their time in volunteer work and looking after their grandchildren, and a large majority reported regularly seeing family and friends, and had support from others in time of need.

More than half of Queenslanders (62%) aged 50 years and over owned their own homes outright in 2001. So while incomes declined as people approached retirement, this was often offset by having no rent or mortgage expenses.

Over 70% of all Queenslanders aged 55 years and over had been out to a cafe, restaurant or bar, and 40% had taken part in or attended sport or physical activities and/or attended a movie, theatre or concert in 2002.

Almost one-quarter of a million Queenslanders aged 50 years and over were volunteers in 2000 and 71% of these people had been volunteers for more than 10 years.

Volunteers aged 50-64 years (40%) and 65 years and over (51%) were more likely to work for community or welfare groups than other organisations.

Most Queensland children aged under 11 years using informal care (57%) in 2002 were cared for by their grandparents.

One in three (30%) Queenslanders aged 55 years and over had used a computer at home in 2002 and 20% had accessed the Internet at home.

Nine in ten (90%) Queenslanders aged 55 years and over had contact in the previous week with family or friends with whom they did not live with in 2002. Nine in ten also reported they would be able to ask people outside of their household for small favours, and in a time of crisis, could get support from outside their household.

Most (90%) Queenslanders aged 45-64 years had access to a car to drive and could easily get to places they need to go. This dropped for those over 65 years, although two-thirds (67%) still had access to a car to drive and 84% could easily get to places they needed to go.

Further detail is in Ageing well, Queensland (cat. no. 4409.3).