A lifeline for forgotten carers: new dementia support platform targets CALD families
Professor Tuan Anh Nguyen from Swinburne University of Technology and the National Ageing Research Institute is leading iSupport-D, a $3 million Medical Research Future Fund-backed dementia support platform designed to assist Culturally and Linguistically Diverse carers with multilingual training, tools and digital support.
Behind every person living with dementia is usually a family member holding everything together.
In many cases, that carer is a woman juggling work, finances and emotional strain with little formal support. Across parts of the Asia-Pacific and within multicultural Australia, that pressure is amplified by language barriers, limited aged care access and a shortage of culturally appropriate services.
Now, an Australian-led research initiative is aiming to change that.
Professor Tuan Anh Nguyen, Research Professor at Swinburne University of Technology and the National Ageing Research Institute, has helped develop iSupport Digital (iSupport-D), a multilingual dementia support platform designed specifically for Culturally and Linguistically Diverse families.
Meeting carers where they are
iSupport-D builds on almost a decade of research led by Professor Nguyen, including the landmark e-DiVA project, which adapted the World Health Organization iSupport program for low- and middle-income countries and CALD communities.
Funded through a $2.5 million National Health and Medical Research Council and e-ASIA grant, e-DiVA was rolled out in Indonesia, New Zealand, Vietnam and multicultural communities in Australia.
The program combined voice search, short instructional videos, online learning modules and service directories, all tailored to local languages and cultural norms.
Early pilot trials reported strong engagement, with recruitment and retention rates of 94 per cent and 90 per cent in Australia, and 100 per cent and 95 per cent in Indonesia. Promising improvements in caregiving burden were also recorded, particularly among new carers.
“Carers want information that feels familiar, not foreign, delivered in ways that are easy to understand and use in their daily caregiving,” Professor Nguyen said.
“e-DiVA showed us how powerful culturally grounded digital tools can be, and that when we co-design programs with communities, carers are more likely to engage and benefit.”
From prototype to national rollout
Building on those results, iSupport-D will launch in 2026 backed by a $3 million Medical Research Future Fund grant, supporting a national rollout across Australia.
The platform will offer personalised web-based training, culturally tailored videos, a mobile app with offline functionality, SMS-based coaching, online support groups, a service finder linked to existing dementia supports and an empathetic chatbot.
It will be available in Arabic, Italian, Mandarin, Cantonese, Vietnamese and English, with a companion version designed for CALD aged care staff.
“These families are doing the hardest job with the least support,” Professor Nguyen said.
“We need to meet them where they are, in their language, culture, and community, providing practical tools and guidance that truly make a difference.”
A large randomised controlled trial will assess the clinical and cost-effectiveness of the program, as well as how it can be implemented in real-world aged care settings.
“iSupport-D is the next generation,” Professor Nguyen said.
“We’re turning a successful prototype into something ready to meet carers where they are, in their language, culture, and community.”
For a sector grappling with workforce shortages and increasing cultural diversity, the message is clear: dementia care cannot be one-size-fits-all.
