The Scanlon Foundation releases its latest narrative on Aged Care and the attendant culture gap for those who are Culturally and Linguistically Diverse – in other words, aged care for our multicultural community who have come here. It is a compelling view of the issues experienced by our immigrant and refugee elders in old age care.
Across all groups, many people feel their culture is the touchstone in their life. The goal for aged care should be to create a system that can respond to Australia’s great and growing diversity.
Its importance should not be understated. How we care for our elderly in Australia and the delivery of culturally responsive and equitable aged care has great implications for our nation’s social cohesion.
In our latest Narrative, authors Rick Morton and Trish Prentice unpack the cultural blindspots found within the aged care system and address alternative ways that institutions can respond to the needs of a diverse and ageing population within Australia.
Read Narrative #8, Aged Care’s Culture Gap: How to respond to the needs of a diverse and ageing population here.
Summary:
A brief and concise history of the Aged Care sector is given. The initiatives of the Howard Government, the nursing home bonds, the introduction of the Home Care packages (and its 4 levels) are described, and the Aged Care Funding Instrument (which strips funds out) is explained. There is a recommendation for a 5th level of care which has not yet been implemented.
The issues of language and care are very well covered.
The explanation of dementia, calling out and aggression are explained, as is the loss of languages acquired. English is usually the first language lost for those who have settled here.
There is an examination of issues around using immigration for a workforce, using subclass 482 visas. This was meant to provide culturally appropriate care to Australians with a Greek cultural background. (Melbourne is the largest Greek city in the world outside of Athens. )
Minor changes to these agreements in March 2019 made it easier for aged care providers serving multicultural communities to bring in workers. The need for these changes stems in part from the fact “a number of occupations in shortage such as Nursing Support Worker and Personal Care Assistant are not eligible for skilled migration through the mainstream visa program.” The Department of Home Affairs told the Royal Commission that new concessions offered to aged care operators under the labour agreement relaxed the age requirements for visa workers (they could be up to 55-years old instead of having to be under 45) and loosened English proficiency demands.
Yet Covid-19 has upended these arrangements. Almost two years into the pandemic, prolonged international border closures continue to distort the economic and immigration outcomes of countries around the world. Varying global vaccination rates pose ongoing challenges as Australia slowly contemplates reopening.
Creative solutions are centred around an mixed model of care with school, day centre, nursing home and a blend of “Old Persons Homes for 4 year olds” which has several full-time examples given that work brilliantly.
