Centre for Cultural Diversity in Ageing E-Newsletter

Issue no. 15 / July 2013

Cultural Diversity in Ageing

FREE Workshop Series
 

The Centre for Cultural Diversity in Ageing is pleased to announce the latest series of professional development workshops to be held from August until November 2013.

The workshops will cover a variety of themes including cultural diversity in residential care, working with interpreters and language services, cultural diversity in home-based care and managing aged care in a culturally diverse setting.

All workshops are free of charge and will be held at Tooronga Community Centre, Crescent Road, Glen Iris (within Stockland Tooronga shopping centre). See dates delow.

Please note: These workshops are filling up quickly, so if you would like to attend, please register soon to avoid missing out.
 

• Cultural diversity in residential care: Achieving quality outcomes for care recipients from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
  Friday 23rd August 2013 | 9:30am - 1:00pm - SESSION FULL!
   
• Making the most of language services in delivering quality aged care
  Friday 27th September 2013 | 9:30am - 1:00pm
   
• Cultural diversity in home-based care: Achieving quality outcomes for consumers from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds
  Friday 25th October 2013 | 9:30am - 1:00pm
   
• Diversity and management in aged care
  Friday 22nd November 2013 | 9:30am - 1:00pm - SESSION FULL!

Visit our website for more information and to register

Dancing with diversity

The Centre for Cultural Diversity in Ageing recently teamed up with the Brotherhood of St Laurence to organise the much-anticipated ‘Celebration of Life’ dance for aged care residents across Melbourne.

The theme for the event was cultural diversity and provided an opportunity for all to recognise and celebrate the diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds that exist in the community. Held at the Northcote Town Hall, around 250 residents, staff and their carers from over 10 aged care facilities, along with students from St Kevin’s College and Cambridge International College enjoyed a lively afternoon of dancing, refreshments and special Bollywood and vocal performances.

The Mayor of Darebin City Council Tim Laurence opened the event and even got involved in some dancing. Father Bob Maguire was also in attendance and made an entertaining speech to guests.

Celebration of Life dances are designed to promote social inclusion and positive ageing and provide an opportunity for people to make new friends. The events are coordinated by Paul Brophy of the Brotherhood of St Laurence and are always a huge success amongst residents.

We would like to sincerely thank Darebin City Council who provided funding to make the dance possible and of course all the wonderful volunteers who contributed to making the event a great success.

View more photos on our Facebook page

The National CALD Ageing Network (NCAN)

The National CALD Ageing Network (NCAN) is a web-based communication network, developed by the Federation of Ethnic Communities' Councils of Australia (FECCA), that has been designed for all stakeholders who are involved in the CALD ageing sector. It is free to join and FECCA encourages all stakeholders in the CALD ageing sector, as well as interested organisations and individuals, to become part of this growing network. You can register on the FECCA website.

NCAN members receive regular email updates about policy developments in the sector, important inquiries, surveys and consultative processes, and information on grant application rounds. They also receive NCAN News, a bimonthly e-news bulletin summarising important developments and events, and have the opportunity to contribute to discussions about key policy issues.

In order to personalise CALD ageing issues, FECCA is currently looking for personal stories from CALD seniors, their families and carers to include in the upcoming issue of Australian Mosaic magazine focussed on CALD aged care, and in future editions of NCAN News. If you are interested in sharing your story or know someone you would like to interview, we would love to hear from you. Please contact Bruce Shaw (bruce@fecca.org.au) and Melanie Tulloch (melanie@fecca.org.au) at FECCA.

Palliative Care Victoria - Cultural update

Culturally Responsive Palliative Care Community Education Project Launch Forum
The Minister for Health, the Hon David Davis will be launching the Culturally Responsive Palliative Care Community Education Project at this forum. The date of the Project Launch Forum has been changed to Tuesday 6 August 2013, 10.45am to 4.30pm with registration from 10.15am.

It will be valuable for metropolitan palliative care services and consortia to be represented at this forum.  Please register online:  http://culturalresponsivepallcare.eventbrite.com.au.

Culturally Responsive Case Studies Sought
Palliative Care Victoria’s Culturally Responsive Palliative Care project is looking for case studies of culturally responsive services to profile within the project. Please contact Sara Duncan if you have an example you would like to discuss. E sduncan@pallcarevic.asn.au   T 9662 9644.
 
 

Seniors recipe book 'Cooking With Culture'

The Multicultural Council of the Northern Territory (MCNT), based in Darwin, has launched the 'Cooking With Culture' Recipe Book - a creative and skilfully produced publication, replete with enticing recipes and enchanting photographs.

The book is part of the 'Cooking With Culture' cooking and nutrition program targeted to participants over 50 years of age. MCNT and Anglicare NT worked with the participants over the past 12 months to collate the selection of heritage recipes.

The collection of recipes is unique in terms of recording and conserving the cultural knowledge and culinary traditions of multicultural seniors for second and third migrant generations as well as for the wider community.

The ‘Cooking with Culture’ program is funded by the Department of Families, Housing, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs in partnership with Anglicare NT’s Linkcare Community Options Service and commenced at the MCNT in March 2010. Since its inception the program has also created a regular social meeting place and promoted active ageing and healthy lifestyles for our multicultural seniors.

This program provides safe and reliable transport and the opportunity for socially isolated multicultural seniors from diverse cultural backgrounds to meet regularly in a safe and friendly environment and share ancestral recipes. In addition the program has periodically scheduled series of information sessions with engaging and authoritative guest speakers on a range of topics related to nutrition and healthy living.

FaHCSIA, DoHA, the NT Government, COTA NT and Foodbank NT have proudly supported the production and launch of the 'Cooking With Culture' Recipe Book. They’re only $10 each; if you would like to order a copy phone Lynne Fisher at the MCNT on (08) 8945 9122.

Aged Care Complaints Scheme - translated information

The Aged Care Complaints Scheme (the Scheme) provides a free service for people to raise their concerns about the quality of care or services being delivered to people receiving aged care services subsidised by the Australian Government.

The Scheme offers a number of printed and online resources for care recipients, families and friends, medical and health professionals, aged care providers and staff.

The small poster and brochure are available in other languages including: Arabic, Chinese, Croatian, Dutch, German, Greek, Hungarian, Italian, Macedonian, Maltese, Polish, Russian, Serbian, Spanish, Tagalog, Turkish and Vietnamese.

Click here to view resources

New bilingual continence fact sheets

The Continence Foundation of Australia has launched its new FREE language web pages for non-English speaking communities and health professionals working with these communities.

Continence information is now available in 20 languages.

The language pages provide links to 17 bilingual fact sheets on topics such as bedwetting, pregnancy, pelvic floor muscles, prostate issues and incontinence products. There are audio translations of all fact sheets and videos that encourage people to seek help.

Copies of the bilingual fact sheets can be ordered from the National Continence Helpline on 1800 33 00 66.

View resources
 

Alzheimer's Australia end of life care surveys

Alzheimer’s Australia is conducting research on end of life care for people with dementia. The project aims to identify barriers and enablers to quality end of life care from the perspective of carers involved in end of life care.

If you work in end of life care or aged care, or are a current or former family carer of a person with dementia, Alzheimer’s Australia wants to hear about your views and experience with end of life care for people with dementia by completing these online surveys.

There are two surveys:

1. For health and aged care professionals - https://secure.piazzaresearch.com.au/ls2/index.php/167838/lang-en

2. For current and former family carers - https://secure.piazzaresearch.com.au/ls2/index.php/478875/lang-en

These surveys will close Monday 5th August 2013. If you have any questions about the project or the survey please contact Kim Taylor via: Phone: (02) 6278 8922 or Email: kim.taylor@alzheimers.org.au

FECCA 2013 Conference - 'Breaking Down the Barriers'

The Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA) in conjunction with the Ethnic Communities Council of Queensland (ECCQ) and the Multicultural Communities Council Gold Coast (MCCGC) are hosting the 2013 FECCA Conference to be held from Thursday 7 to Friday 8 November 2013 at the Gold Coast Convention and Exhibition Centre.

The theme for this year’s conference is Breaking down the barriers: A strength-based approach for a just society.

The biennial conference draws together leading decision makers, thinkers and practitioners to discuss and debate key issues that relate to Australia’s cultural and linguistic diversity. These are explored through a series of plenary addresses, panel discussions and presentations.

Visit the FECCA website for more information

Racism. It Stops With Me.

The Centre for Cultural Diversity in Ageing has signed up for the Australian Human Rights Commission’s ‘Racism. It Stops With Me’ campaign.

To support the campaign, we have pledged to undertake activities over the next three years that will prevent racism within the aged care sector and we are proud to support the initiative.

The campaign website features the National Anti-Racism Strategy which has also been translated into 26 different languages. View the Strategy in English and in 26 languages here.

The national campaign, which has been developed through a partnership of government and non-government agencies, will run until 2015. For more information, visit the Racism. It Stops With Me. website

Population Diversity in Victoria - publication now available

The Population Diversity in Local Councils in Victoria: 2011 Census publication is now available for free download from the Victorian Multicultural Commission website.

This publication provides data on the key census cultural and language diversity indicators for Victoria’s population, including country of birth (birthplace), language spoken at home and religion by Local Government Areas (LGA). The Report also includes profiles for the Victorian Multicultural Commission’s 8 Regional Advisory Council (RAC) regions.

It is an invaluable guide for local government planners, community organisations, researchers and those in the broader community concerned with policy planning and the design of culturally appropriate services.

Limited hard copies are printed. Electronic copies are available for free download.

Read more