Centenarians in Victoria put pressure on aged care, health services

The number of Victorians living past 100 years old is on the rise, but the milestone is not good news for everyone with growing concerns about the pressures of caring for an ageing population.

Recent data from the Registry of Births, Deaths and Marriages reveals that 770 individuals aged over 100 passed away last year, including 576 women and 194 men.

This figure is nearly double the 431 centenarians who died in 2015, highlighting the trend of increasing longevity.

Victorian women are more than twice as likely as men to reach the age milestone.

Among Melbourne’s oldest residents are Khanna and Genrikh Levitan, both centenarians and married for more than six decades.

Mrs Levitan recently celebrated her 100th birthday, while Mr Levitan is set to mark his 102nd birthday in the coming months.

Their grandson Alex Kats said one of their secrets to a long life was simple.

“In over 60 years together they have barely had an argument, he said.

“They may not always agree, but even now, their minds are sharp and they talk through things very rationally and come to a mutual agreement.

“They genuinely respect each other and especially now, rely on each other.”

When someone isn’t visiting them, while Khanna sits most of the day and supports her husband emotionally, Genrikh has learned to use a computer, a mobile phone and now a tablet device in bed, so that they continue to watch the news and enjoy classical music concerts on YouTube, from the confines of their room.

Victoria’s population is ageing with government figures in 2021 showing 1.5 million people were aged over 60, equating to 22 per cent of the population.

That number is expected to increase by around 60 per cent to more than 2.3 million people by 2046.

There are currently around 280,000 Victorians aged 80 or older, which is 4.3 per cent of the population.

Work is underway to support an ageing population with the Allan Government investing $34.6 million in the Victorian Budget 2025/26 to strengthen Public Sector Residential Aged Care Services.

A Victorian government spokesperson said funds had also been injected into the health system this year “to ensure it keeps pace with rising demand – including the increasing number of older Victorians living longer and needing more complex care later in life”.

“To support end-of-life care, we have invested more than $182 million over the past decade to expand access to palliative care, including at-home and hospital services and the free Palliative Care Advice Service,” they said.

“Victoria has the largest public sector aged care network in Australia – giving more older Victorians, particularly in rural and regional areas, access to world-class care closer to home, including those with complex or palliative care needs.”

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Originally published as Centenarians on the rise in Victoria adding pressure to aged care, families, and health services