Centre for Cultural Diversity in Ageing E-Newsletter

Issue No. 26 / May 2016

Melbourne Workshop

Don't miss your place at the next Cultural Diversity in Aged Care: Developing an Inclusive Approach Workshop.

If you are working in aged care and want to enhance your service provision to older people from culturally diverse backgrounds, then this workshop will give you an understanding of what it means to apply a culturally inclusive approach in your work and give you access to tools and resources to help you achieve this.

When: Tuesday 24 May, 2016 from 9.30am - 3:30pm

Where: LASA Victoria Head Office, Level 11/600 St Kilda Road, Melbourne

Click here for details and registration

Save the Date

We are excited to announce the date for our next Ageing in Australia EXPO. It will be held on Saturday 29th April 2017 at the Melbourne Town Hall.   The Ageing in Australia Expo is a unique Victorian event connecting older people and their families to aged care providers and support services. It provides an opportunity for people to find out about the ragne of support services available to them and their families as they age, and ask questions of aged care services relating to their care and wellbeing. 

Contact us for more information about becoming an exhibitor. 

National Palliative Care Week

National Palliative Care Week, 22-28 May is an annual awareness raising week organised by Palliative Care Australia. The theme for this year is 'Living Well with Chronic Illness'. The theme addresses the need for people with advanced chronic illness to be able to access palliative care.

Research shows that the overall use and awareness of palliative care services in culturally and linguistically diverse communities is low. Discussing illness, death and dying can often trigger strong emotions and feelings with people who speak languages other than English as they face disadvantaged due to lack of awareness of health services in general and lack of knowledge about palliative care services.  Staff who provide palliative care services may also lack confidence and skills in assessing and delivering palliative care services to people whose language they do not share.  

Centre for Cultural Diversity in Ageing has produced a Palliative Care Practice Guide and Palliative Care Victoria has translated information about palliative care in a number of community languages. Effective communication can be facilitated through use of language services. TIS National is funded to support the aged care sector with assessments, care planning and service reviews.

For further information contact the Centre for Cultural Diversity in Ageing team: info@culturaldiversity.com.au or (03) 8823 7979

Bridging Cultures - A Guide to the Diverse Cultures in Australia

Partners in Culturally and Appropriate Care (PICAC) NSW & ACT team has published Bridging Cultures - A Guide to the Diverse Cultures in Australia. The Guide includes cultural information on over 40 communities. It is intended to enhance the understanding aged care services have of the diversity in the older population and to assist in the provision of culturally appropriate care.

Palliative Care Victoria and Ethnic Communities Forum

On Monday 23 May during National Palliative Care Week, Palliative Care Victoria and the Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria will bring the palliative care sector and the ethnic community sector together again to celebrate what they have achieved so far, enable conversations and strengthen relationships between the two sectors, and identify what needs to be done to continue this shared work.

When:  Monday 23rd May, 2016 from 10.00am to 3.00pm
Where: Tracy Centre, 126 The Avenue, Parkville

To register: http://npcw-forum-2016.eventbrite.com.au

DHHS Cultural Diversity Plan 2016-2019

The Victorian government has released the first cultural diversity plan for the new Department of Health and Human Services: Delivering for diversity: cultural diversity plan 2016–2019.  The plan recognises that providing culturally responsive, competent, respectful and accessible services is a core responsibility of the department and the services it funds and delivers, outlines priorities and key actions for responding to cultural and linguistic diversity across the range of departmental services, and will be supplemented with annual action plans.

Free interpreting services for aged care services

Did you know that the Australian Government Department of Social Services provides funded interpreter services to all approved aged care services?  All services have been supplied with a TIS National Client Code which must be quoted when accessing TIS National. If you don’t have one already contact the TIS National Client Liaison and Promotions Team on 1300 655 820 or the DSS Ageing and Diversity Section on (02) 6289 8903. 

Click here for more TIS National information and contact details

The Hunter Institute of Mental Health recently launched a Conversations Matter resource that provides information for health professionals to guide safe and appropriate discussions about suicide with culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities.  The resource entitled ‘Supporting CALD communities to talk about suicide’ provides practical information for communities and professionals to guide conversations about suicide.  more

A Change Full of Meaning

Meaningful Ageing Australia is the new name for Pastoral and Spiritual Care of Older People (PASCOP), the organisation created in 2012 to support and develop the highest quality of pastoral and spiritual care for older people in Australia, from any background and in any care context.

Meaningful Ageing Australia is the only national organisation in Australia focused on ensuring access to high quality pastoral and spiritual care for older people, including people with dementia, wherever they live and whatever their cultural or religious background. Membership is open to all organisations publicly or privately owned providing services to older people, whether faith or non-faith based, in residential care or living in the community.

To learn more visit: http://meaningfulageing.org.au/

My Aged Care can help you access aged care information in languages other than English.

Promote your wares!

We are always keen to help promote any new projects, events and resources through our newsletter. Feel free to contact us if you would have anything you would like us to share.
Email info@culturaldiversity.com.au or call 03 8823 7979