More interpreters, bilingual staff needed in aged care
Australia’s aged care sector needs more interpreters and bilingual staff to meet the needs of clients from non-English speaking backgrounds, the Federation of Ethnic Communities Councils of Australia (FECCA) says.
A report released recently by FECCA shows there are 1.3 million Australians aged over 50 from non-English speaking backgrounds.
The report drew on data from the 2011 census, which states 20% of Australians aged 65 years and older were born in non-English speaking countries.
It reveals many aged care facilities reportedly fail to provide culturally appropriate care, including a lack of homeland food or traditional medicine
FECCA chair, Joe Caputo, says aged care needed to be far more responsive to the nation's cultural diversity.
“Different communities have got different traditions and different ways of going about and caring for older people,” Mr Caputo says.
“So I think the system has to be flexible enough and understanding of the diversity of the communities that are getting older in Australia.”
The report shows some older Australians from migrant communities, particularly for migrants from Greece or Italy, prefer for family members to care for them, rather than receive care in aged care facilities.
“I think that most people would like to stay at home for as long as possible and they would like to have family members assisting them as they are getting older or getting frail and I think policy-makers can ensure that we put more resources into ensuring that people can stay at home, either looking after themselves or assisting family members who are looking after older people,” Mr Caputo says.
The FECCA report highlights the changing cultural make-up of Australia's older population.
It predicts older migrants from China, Vietnam and India are likely to outnumber those from Greece and Italy over coming decades.
The FECCA study was funded by the federal government with the research undertaken by the Australian Population and Migration Research Centre at the University of Adelaide.
