Diverse Workforce Benefits Ageing Population
18 April 2016 at 9:30 am
Pairing aged care residents with carers from a similar cultural and linguistic background is becoming more common as Australia copes with its aging multicultural population, according to training provider Charlton Brown.
Australia’s ageing population is set to more than double in the next 30 years, posing questions as to how the sector will best care for this vulnerable group.
Columbian native and Charlton Brown employee Cesar Arias said this strategy was hugely beneficial for the aged care residents.
“Almost a third of the carers in Australia speak a language other than English, which is unsurprising given that over a quarter of Australia’s population was born overseas,” Mr Arias said.
“It is not uncommon for people to revert to their first language as they age and it is very rewarding when you can speak your mother tongue to an older individual.
“You notice an increased sense of connection and there is an unspoken understanding between you.”
Arias said he had seen first-hand the benefits of this approach to aged care.
“There is an increased sense of wellbeing and an improved appetite for social participation among the elderly,” he said.
“Through building rapport with residents our carers can also respond more appropriately to personal situations and solve issues quickly when they arise.”
Charlton Brown has trained a large number of students from diverse backgrounds with more than 80 per cent being international.
“Multicultural differences are incorporated in all aspects of our training courses and there is a strong focus on understanding cultural diversity as many of the residents we visit speak a language other than English,” Arias said.
Charlton Brown is hosting the Global Welfare Summit later this month. The summit will feature more than 40 national and international speakers in the areas of palliative care, dementia, technology, education and community services.
