Centre for Cultural Diversity in Ageing E-Newsletter

Issue No. 32 / December 2017

New bilingual aged care staff directories

Centre for Cultural Diversity in Ageing is thrilled to invite aged care providers to register their details to be listed in two new bilingual aged care staff directories.

A growing number of older people who speak languages other than English are accessing aged care services. Communication is the single greatest barrier faced by aged care services in providing quality service to older people from non-English speaking background. The two directories aim to help ease communication issues through providing a means for a language match to occur between consumers and staff.

Your organisation is invited to register for one or both of the following directories:

• Aged Care Services with Bilingual Staff Directory
  This directory lists approved aged care providers who have bilingual staff working at their services. Consumers and their carers will be able to search for services where there are staff who speak their language.
   
• Bilingual Agency Staff Directory
  This directory lists agencies who have bilingual staff that can be hired out to aged care service providers. This listing allows aged care providers to search for bilingual staff they can hire in order to match the language spoken by their consumers.

Registration is free-of-charge for Australian Government funded Approved Aged Care Providers. 

Find out more and register on our website

Assisi adopts the Montessori Approach to Care

The Assisi Centre, an Italian ethno-specific residential facility in Melbourne, collaborated with Dementia Australia Vic and successfully implemented the Montessori Approach to Care program into their memory support unit, St Claire, in August last year.

"Relate, Motivate, Appreciate" summarises the 12 key principles of the Montessori method. It uses the theory that people with dementia are often confronted with what they can no longer do or with the mistakes that they make. Montessori principles are designed to focus on what they can still do.

A Montessori Leadership Team of 12 staff from all departments was developed, dedicated to driving the motivation and interest in the program.

The Assisi Centre’s Director of Care Fiona Kool explained: “We laid the foundation using the 12 principles and implemented our ideas for engagement activities and roles. We could instantly see the positive effects on the residents and families."

The Leadership Team continued to help, support and communicate to the staff and families at St Claire over many months.

"The outcomes were amazing," Fiona continued. “There was a decrease in falls, use of psychotropic medication and anti-depressants, and there was a marked decrease in complaints from residents’ families. There was also a noted change in culture of the staff, some of who are now requesting specifically to work at St Claire’s," she said.

Read more about the Montessori Approach to Care on the Assisi website.

National workshops for aged care managers and leaders

The Centre for Cultural Diversity in Ageing has partnered with the Australian Aged Care Quality Agency to deliver the "Focus on Diversity: Delivering services in a culturally inclusive way workshop".

This one-day workshop provides an opportunity for managers and leaders working in residential aged care and home care settings to deepen their knowledge and build their capacity around culturally inclusive service provision.

Participants will explore ways to plan and implement strategies that reflect a culturally inclusive approach in order to enhance outcomes at an individual level and create lasting change at an organisational level.

Find out more and register your interest by emailing us on: info@culturaldiversity.com.au

Muslim Aged Care: A Practical Guide for Service Providers

A new resource titled Muslim Aged Care: A Practical Guide for Service Providers has been developed to give providers a better understanding of Muslim aged care needs and assist them to respond in a more culturally appropriate manner.

The resource builds on the first Muslim aged care report in South Australia, "Muslims in Australia and their Aged Care Needs: An Exploratory Study with Special Reference to South Australia".

The document can be downloaded from the Meaningful Ageing Australia website.

Building Culturally Inclusive Social Support Groups

Building culturally inclusive social support groups have multiple benefits for groups and participants and allows for wider community cohesion.

To assist social support groups in understanding the different elements required to be culturally inclusive, the EMR Alliance and the Centre for Culture, Ethnicity and Health have collaborated to develop a series of help sheets called 'Building Culturally Inclusive Social Support Groups.

The help sheets should also be considered in conjunction with the EMR Alliance Connecting the Pieces resources and video that explain the unique aspects of diversity, person-centred care and the relationship between these approaches.

The help sheets are available on the EMR Alliance website.

Free Energy and Water Ombudsman (Victoria) multilingual information

The Energy and Water Ombudsman Victoria (EWOV) is an independent dispute resolution service that handles customer complaints about electricity, gas and water. EWOV is a free service and is not a government body.

EWOV also provides impartial information, advice and referral services and can send out staff to discuss these services with community members, volunteers and staff.

Resources and information about the service are available in 32 languages, including details about energy billing, credit and hardship, getting connected and saving money on bills.

Visit the Energy and Water Ombudsman Victoria website for more information and to access the resources.

LASA Tri-State Conference

Registration is now open to attend the next Leading Age Services Australia (LASA) Tri-State Conference: "Disrupt, Innovate & Thrive" on 4 - 6 February 2018 at the Albury Entertainment Centre.

LASA's 2018 Tri-State Conference program will provide practical solutions, empowering practitioners to deliver high quality, innovative aged care services that can thrive in a consumer-driven, market-based aged care system.

Centre for Cultural Diversity in Ageing will have a stand at the Tri-State Conference - so please come and say hello!

Register here for the LASA Tri-State Conference.

5th National Elder Abuse Conference - Together Making Change

Seniors Rights Service is delighted to host the 5th National Elder Abuse Conference, "Together Making Change" on 19 - 20 February 2018 at the Sofitel Sydney Wentworth.

The conference comes at a pivotal moment in Australia’s response to elder abuse. Conference delegates will gather to exchange ideas, solutions and experiences and work together in enabling change.

Find out more and register on the conference website.

Conversations About Care Conference

North Richmond Community Health will present the third conference in the "Where the Mind Meets the Mouth" series: "Conversations About Care" on 1 - 2 March 2018.

The two-day conference will present the latest in client-centred care and integrated practice.

Hear from leading figures in Australian health like Susan Alberti AC and Julie McCrossin and join in the movement towards a more empathetic and effective form of care.

Register your interest here

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 have anything to share with us.
Email info@culturaldiversity.com.au or call 03 8823 7979