Person—living arrangement, code N

Identifying and definitional attributes

Metadata item type:

Data Element

Short name:

Living arrangement

METeOR identifier:

270385

Registration status:

Community services, Standard 01/03/2005

Definition:

Whether a person usually resides alone or with others, as represented by a code.

Data Element Concept:

Person—living arrangement

Value domain attributes

Representational attributes

Representation class:

Code

Data type:

Number

Format:

Maximum character length:

Permissible values:

Value	Meaning
1	Lives alone
2	Lives with family
3	Lives with others

Supplementary values:

9	Not stated/inadequately described

Collection and usage attributes

Guide for use:

CODE 2 Lives with family:

If the person's household includes both family and non-family members, the person should be recorded as living with family. 'Living with family' should be considered to include de facto and same sex relationships.

On occasion, difficulties can arise in deciding the living arrangement of a person due to their type of accommodation (e.g. boarding houses, hostels, group homes, retirement villages, residential aged care facilities).

In these circumstances the person should be regarded as living alone, except in those instances in which they are sharing their own private space/room within the premises with a significant other (e.g. partner, sibling, close friend).

Source and reference attributes

Submitting organisation:

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

Data element attributes

Collection and usage attributes

Collection methods:

Generally this metadata item is collected for the person's usual living arrangement, but may also, if required, be collected for a person's main living arrangement or living arrangement at a particular time reference point.

Comments:

It is important to record the type of living arrangement for a person in order to develop a sense of the level of support, both physically and emotionally, to which a person may have access.