New Translation and Interpreting Service for Aged Care Residents
The Australian Government is providing $2.2 million to engage interpreter services to help older people from non-English speaking backgrounds communicate on health and aged care matters.Translation services and on-site interpreters will be available to older Australians in aged care facilities who are from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds, Minister for Mental Health and Ageing Mark Butler announced today.
The Gillard Government is providing $2.2 million to engage interpreter services to help older people from non-English speaking backgrounds communicate on health and aged care matters.
"This investment delivers on our election commitment to provide improved access to translation services for older Australians from non-English speaking backgrounds and cultural awareness training for aged care staff", Butler said.
"The new service will include on-site visits and telephone interpreting services and services will be available around the clock for 24 hours a day, seven days a week".
There are currently almost 30,000 culturally and linguistically diverse residents in aged care homes that could benefit from this initiative.
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Acknowledgements
Centre for Cultural Diversity in Ageing acknowledges and pays respect to the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation, on whose land this website was developed. We pay our respects to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, their ancestors and elders, both past and present and acknowledge their continuing connection to land, sea and community. We hope our work contributes to the wider project of respect and recognition between cultures in Australia. Centre for Cultural Diversity in Ageing receives project funding from the Australian Department of Health and Aged Care to administer the Partners in Culturally Appropriate Care (PICAC) program in Victoria.
Did you know?
37%
37% of people aged 65 years and over in Australia were born overseas.
400
There are over 400 separately identified languages spoken in Australian homes.
120
Australians follow more than 120 religious and spiritual beliefs.
28% & 20%
28% percent of people using home care and 20% percent of people using permanent residential care are from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
36%
36% of care attendants in residential aged care are identified as being from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.
250
Australia’s Indigenous peoples are two distinct cultural groups made up of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. But there is great diversity within these two broadly described groups exemplified by the over 250 different language groups spread across the nation.