The nation’s disability burden is set to grow as the population ages, according to a new study from the Australian Institute for Health and Welfare (AIHW).

The report found that older people are much more likely to have multiple disabilities and to use assistance.

In 2003, 35 per cent of older Australians had more than one form of disability. Four out of five people with four or five disabilities were aged over 65 and 70 per cent of them relied on mobility aids.

The report identified dementia as the health condition that was most likely to be associated with other disabilities.

Nine out of ten people with dementia also had a physical disability, 82 per cent had an intellectual disability and 68 per cent had a sensory or speech disability.

Other conditions that were commonly associated with multiple disabilities included Parkinson’s disease, schizophrenia and stroke.

The report noted that people with multiple disabilities were less likely to receive the care they needed.

“People with three or more disabilities who needed help with health care were less likely to have their health care needs fully met than people with one or two disabilities,” it said.

“The unmet need was particularly high among adults with four or five disabilities.”

The most common forms of assistance for older people were hearing and mobility aids.