Assistance with research into depression in seniors in NSW ethnic communities
COTA NSW Seniors Peer Education Centre provides free health education sessions to a wide variety of seniors groups and services in NSW, including depression in older people (Beyond Maturity Blues). This topic is funded by beyondblue, the national initiative to raise awareness on depression.
The Centre would like to hear from those groups and services working with seniors in culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities, who have an interest in the issue of depression in those communities. This could include seniors groups, services for CALD seniors groups, volunteers working with CALD seniors, carer support groups for families of CALD seniors, CALD peak bodies, and so on.
The Centre would be interested in hearing how the issue of depression is approached in CALD communities; is it an issue; is access to information on depression an issue; are there any particular attitudes towards depression in CALD communities that are helpful/not helpful; where do seniors in CALD communities get their information from on depression; are there any assumptions or perceived assumptions (right or wrong) non-CALD communities/ services might make about depression in seniors in CALD communities; what ways/methods of communicating information on depression to seniors in CALD communities are the most appropriate to those groups, and what ways/ methods are not.
If you can provide a perspective on any of the above, please contact Dougie Wells, ph (02) 9286 3868 or email dwells@spec.net.au