It’s commonly understood that Australia has an aging population. We also know that the country is made up of people from a diverse range of cultural backgrounds.

More than a third of Australians over 65 were born overseas. Therefore, as the population ages, the demand for culturally and linguistically appropriate care continues to grow.

So how do we make aged care inclusive for all regardless of their background?

The rise of culturally appropriate aged care

Aged Care facilities that cater to specific cultures are rising in popularity. For example, the Mekong Aged Care Facility in Melbourne caters for residents from the Vietnamese, Laotian and Cambodian communities.

It is predominately run by Vietnamese staff, including carers, nurses, doctors, and cooks.

Residents are served traditional Vietnamese cuisine such as noodle soups, rice dishes and banh-mi-style sandwiches.

Similar facilities exist for the Chinese, Greek and Italian communities.

Traditionally, in many cultures, it is customary to care for elderly relatives at home until they die. However, this is changing, with some families choosing to place their family members in care as they juggle work and other responsibilities. For example, Vietnamese families were initially reluctant to put their relatives in care. However, this is changing, resulting in the growth of facilities such as Mekong.

Benefits of culturally diverse aged care

Culturally diverse aged care can have several benefits for residents. These include:

• Helping maintain identity: Being able to engage in traditional cultural practices helps residents to maintain their identity.
• Reducing language barriers: Culturally diverse residents, especially if they have been out of the workforce a long time, may have a limited understanding of English. Therefore, culturally diverse care can help to remove language barriers.
• Improving mental health: Remaining connected to their traditional food, people and language can help improve the mental and physical health of aged care residents.

Challenges of culturally appropriate care

Despite the clear benefits, there are several challenges that may be involved in establishing culturally-specific aged care facilities. These include:

• Cultural groups may be dispersed across cities: This may make it difficult to decide where to locate a culturally specific aged care facility. Additionally, culturally-specific care may be impractical for those living in regional areas. Alternatively, residents may be forced to move large distances away from their family and friends to receive appropriate care.
• Challenging stereotypes: Despite the advancements that have been made, in some cultures, it is still frowned upon to put elderly relatives in care, reducing the demand for care among some groups.
• Finding sufficient staffing: Finding qualified staff is a challenge for any aged care facility. Trying to find staff with knowledge of specific backgrounds only adds to this challenge.

As a result of these challenges, culturally specific aged care facilities are still relatively low in number. While people born in India are the second largest migrant group in Australia, Melbourne’s Indian community is still waiting on a dedicated culturally appropriate aged care facility.

In many cases, it is simply not practical to have an aged care facility specific to each culture in each geographic area.
One alternative solution is to incorporate culturally diverse practices into traditional aged care facilities by encouraging residents to participate in their own cultural traditions.

As Australia’s population ages, it’s crucial we recognise the cultural diversity of our seniors. For example, some aged care facilities recognise religious diversity by facilitating regular visits from Catholic priests and Buddhist monks. Facilities can also encourage residents to celebrate holidays that are culturally important to them.

Cultural identity is an essential part of who we are and it is essential it is maintained as we age.

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Article References

Roy, T (10 June 2022) ‘Older Australians from diverse backgrounds call for more culturally and linguistically appropriate aged care’, ABC News, accessed 26 November 2024.

Sambal, N (23 November 2024) ‘Homes catering for migrant communities’ elderly help dispel taboos around aged care’, ABC News, accessed 26 November 2024.