Lack of awareness about dementia, and dementia-related stigma in culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities often leads to delays in help-seeking and diagnosis, poorer prognosis, and a higher burden of care on families and health systems.
Harmony Day provides an opportunity to promote dementia specific resources and services for people from CALD backgrounds, and dementia specific training programs for health professionals working with CALD communities.
Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS)
Sometimes it can be difficult to seek support or services to help you live well with dementia if you don’t speak English. To gain assistance to speak to someone over the phone you can use the Translating and Interpreting Service (TIS). TIS is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, and is accessible from anywhere in Australia for the cost of a local call on 131 450. TIS can translate both sides of a phone conversation into more than 100 languages. When you call TIS, an operator will ask you what language you need. Tell the operator in English the language you speak. The operator will then connect you with an interpreter who speaks your language. You may need to wait on the line for the interpreter, or the operator may need to call you back when an interpreter is available. This interpreter can will then assist you to make contact over the phone with the services you are seeking.
Dementia information and support services for people with dementia and carers/families
Dementia Australia have a range of CALD resources.
Moving Pictures, an initiative of the National Ageing Research Institute has created a series of videos and comic strips co-produced with CALD communities to increase awareness of dementia in these communities.
My Aged Care provide some multicultural resources and you can contact them via the TIS to get assesses for aged care services including Help at Home.
Carer Gateway provides free services and support for carers of people living with dementia. They offer information in a range of languages to help you understand the Carer Gateway.
The Centre for Cultural Diversity in Ageing provides a directory of aged care providers with bilingual staff across Australia, searchable via postcode and/or language.
Partners in Culturally Appropriate Care organisations help older CALD people and their families make informed decisions about their aged care needs. Partners in Culturally Appropriate Care (PICAC), by state/territory:
- NSW & ACT: MCCI
- NT: Council on the Ageing Inc (COTA NT) Inc
- QLD: Diversicare
- SA: Multicultural Aged Care Incorporated
- TAS: Migrant Resource Centre Tasmania
- VIC: Centre for Cultural Diversity in Ageing
- WA: Fortis consulting
Training programs for health professionals working with CALD communities
Dementia Training Australia offer a module called Supporting Diverse Communities on how multicultural aged care providers support people from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds who are living with dementia.
Partners in Culturally Appropriate Care organisations work to support aged care providers to deliver culturally appropriate care to older people from CALD communities. Partners in Culturally Appropriate Care (PICAC), by state/territory:
- NSW & ACT: MCCI
- NT: Council on the Ageing Inc (COTA NT) Inc
- QLD: Diversicare
- SA: Multicultural Aged Care Incorporated
- TAS: Migrant Resource Centre (Southern Tasmania) Inc
- VIC: Centre for Cultural Diversity in Ageing
- WA: Fortis consulting
The Centre for Cultural Diversity in Ageing provides a range of online training resources for service providers.
Federation of Ethnic Communities’ Councils of Australia (FECCA) provide a database of research in ageing with dementia as one of the topics.
More information on this website
Read stories of people living with dementia from CALD communities in Australia including:
