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Informal carer

Identifying and definitional attributes

Metadata item type:Help on this termObject Class
METEOR identifier:Help on this term268964
Registration status:Help on this term
  • Community Services (retired), Standard 01/03/2005
  • Disability, Standard 07/10/2014
Definition:Help on this term

An informal carer includes any person, such as a family member, friend or neighbour, who is giving regular, ongoing assistance to another person without payment for the care given.

Context:Help on this term

Care and support networks where the carers are unpaid (other than pension or benefit) play a critical role in community services provision, especially in caring for frail aged and younger people with disability within the community.

Information about informal carers is therefore of fundamental importance in assessing the ongoing needs of clients and their carers, and in service planning. The presence of an informal carer is often a key indicator of a person's ability to remain at home, especially if the person requires assistance. The absence of an informal carer, where a vulnerable client lives alone, is an indicator of client risk. Information on client living arrangements and informal carer availability provides an indicator of the potential in-home support and the extent to which the burden of care is absorbed by the informal caring system.

The stability or otherwise of the informal carer's availability may be significant in the capacity of the client continuing to remain at home.

Existing carer definitions (e.g. for purposes of establishing eligibility for Domiciliary Nursing Care Benefits (DNCB/Carer Allowance; Carer's Pension/Carer Payment) definitions used in ABS population, surveys of disability, ageing and carers) vary in context and purpose.

Specialisation of:Help on this termService/care provider

Collection and usage attributes

Guide for use:Help on this term

The definition excludes formal care services such as homecare, care provided by volunteers or foster care that is arranged by formal services. It also excludes unregistered child carers who are receiving payment for their services. Where a potential carer is not prepared to undertake the caring role, the carer is considered to be not available.

Source and reference attributes

Submitting organisation:Help on this term

Australian Institute of Health and Welfare

Origin:Help on this term

Commonwealth Department of Health and Family Services 1998. Home and Community Care (HACC) data dictionary version 1.0: Home and Community Care Program National Minimum Data Set. Cat. no. AIHW 3600. Canberra: AIHW.

Relational attributes

Related metadata references:Help on this term
Supersedes PDFInformal carer, version 2, DEC, NCSDD, NCSIMG, Superseded 01/03/2005.pdf (14.6 KB) No registration status
Data Element Concepts implementing this Object Class:Help on this term
Informal carer—activity and participation life area supported
  • Community Services (retired), Standard 10/04/2013
  • Disability, Standard 13/08/2015
Informal carer—age range
  • Community Services (retired), Standard 13/03/2013
  • Disability, Standard 07/10/2014
Informal carer—co-residency indicator
  • Disability, Standard 29/02/2016
Informal carer—co-residency status
  • Community Services (retired), Standard 01/03/2005
  • Disability, Superseded 29/02/2016
  • Health, Candidate 13/05/2008
Informal carer—financial assistance type
  • Community Services (retired), Standard 10/04/2013
  • Disability, Standard 13/08/2015
Informal carer—main activity and participation life area supported
  • Community Services (retired), Standard 10/04/2013
  • Disability, Standard 13/08/2015
Informal carer—main carer indicator
  • Community Services (retired), Standard 10/04/2013
  • Disability, Standard 13/08/2015
Informal carer—number of days available to provide care
  • Community Services (retired), Standard 10/04/2013
  • Disability, Standard 13/08/2015
Informal carer—number of hours available to provide care
  • Community Services (retired), Standard 10/04/2013
  • Disability, Standard 13/08/2015
Informal carer—number of hours of care provided
  • Community Services (retired), Standard 10/04/2013
  • Disability, Standard 13/08/2015
Informal carer—primary carer indicator
  • Disability, Superseded 15/12/2017
Informal carer—primary carer indicator
  • Disability, Standard 15/12/2017
Informal carer—primary status
  • Community Services (retired), Standard 27/04/2007
  • Disability, Standard 07/10/2014
Informal carer—receipt of carer allowance or payment indicator
  • Community Services (retired), Standard 10/04/2013
  • Disability, Standard 13/08/2015
Informal carer—relationship to care recipient
  • Community Services (retired), Standard 01/03/2005
  • Disability, Standard 07/10/2014
  • Health, Candidate 13/05/2008
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